The Stars Above

A high desert night has a glamour all its own. The crispness of the stars brings them to arm’s reach and the dry air pinpoints each and every one with an unusual clarity.
Tonight the early crescent moon was more an exclamation point than the scene-stealer that a full moon would have been. In fact, it seemed to cup the Pleiades in its arc and to showcase them as the phenomenon they are rather than pull the limelight to itself. Beside them, Orion strode proudly through the night. Across the heavens, the Bears claimed their own share of the glory.
As I stood in awe of the wonder that so nonchalantly played out above, I knew that most would not be out to enjoy this display simply because the day had so rapidly chilled into night. And nights on the desert cool so quickly that only the adventuresome (or foolhardy) willingly accept the toll the drop in temperature exacts.
Tonight was worth the cost.
A bright and glorious day that gifts you with a final act of such surpassing beauty deserves at least an audience of one, so I gratefully accepted the privilege of the role. The opportunities to be involved are many, our acceptances seem all too few.
I extend an invitation to all: come see, and be amazed!