Staring Heavenward ...

Last night I was waxing eloquently about staring at the countless stars that fill the Prairie sky on a cloudless night ... Tonight, after getting an email from a friend who commented on the Northern Lights you can see on the Prairies, my mind has wandered back to the visit of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997 ...

One night while we were still in Bella Coola BC, the comet was very noticable in the sky north of town ... I went out with my binoculars to get a better look. I couldn't keep the steady, so I laid down on my back in the front yard ... Now, to provide the context - the front yard of the Manse in Bella Coola was smack on the corner where most of the life of the Native Community passed by day and night ...

That night as I laid on the grass looking skyward, a group of young people were making their way home from somewhere ... They noisily came down the road until they noticed me lying on the grass.

"Who's that?" one voice asked.

"I think it's the minister," observed another.

"Yeah, It's Shawn ..." said a third, "think he's okay?"

"Maybe he's drunk," observed the first.

"Maybe he's dead," observed the second.

"I'm watching stars," I answered, not looking to see who it was ...

Gasps and laughter and running feet met my words ... and I was again left in peace to watch the comet and the stars ... Though, I still love staring into space when the Northern Lights are dancing across the sky, most of the time though, it's too cold to lie on the ground outside when the Northern Lights are out ... too bad.