Thankful for Moonbeams

I’ve always been fascinated by the moon, the night sky…I can remember many nights when I was younger staring at the sky and all the stars… we could easily see the milky way… I was fascinated by the bigness of it and my smallness. Somehow it made me feel more solid, like I belonged, I mattered if I could see something so beautiful that was soooo far away – it was proof of something – even if I didn’t know what.

Often, on Saturday night, we would drive to my cousin’s house – our parents would play cards, the 6 of us kids would watch Carol Burnett and then either play our own card games or get into some kind of mischief. We’d always stay late into the evening and then drive home in the dark. Often on the drive home we’d listen to a story on the radio – usually a mystery and I’d stare out the window – moon watching. It amazed me that each corner we took each curve and hill – even though I might lose sight of it for a moment – it was always there. Following…watching… guarding…protecting… I don’t know – but it was a safe, BIG, feeling.

A few years ago, I read this children’s book. “The Pirate Who Tried to Capture the Moon” by Dennis Haseley.
Here’s the excerpt from the jacket front:
There once was a fierce pirate who loved nothing. He lived alone on an island. And he captured ships. But after each victory, he saw the moon, drifting free. “Moon, follow me!” he ordered, jiggling his sword. But the moon sailed majestically through the sky, lighting up frog ponds, shining down on poets and baying wolves and Italian restaurants and all the things it loved. So the pirate captured all those things and waited. And the moon, seeing everything it loved gone, came down closer. And closer still…
As this huge moon- bigger than the pirate had ever imagined – came closer and closer getting bigger and bigger, the pirate became afraid. Eventually, as the story goes, the pirate released all the things he had captured trying to deter the moon, but the moon waited… then, as the huge moon waits patiently over him…
The pirate stared into its light, and a wild shiver ran through him like a wave. He forgot about being afraid. He forgot about being fierce. He lowered his sword, he dropped his armor, and he whispered, “Moon, wonderful moon, it is you who have captured me.” … now there was someone new the moon loved who loved the moon. For at that moment, in the middle of the night, the pirate began to dance.

This was such a picture of my life, taking prisoners, armor and sword in hand – then the moon – the huge, disturbing, frightening moon-sized love of the huge God of the Universe, captured me. Since a little girl it had been following me, waiting.
Suddenly, I realized that that’s what it’s all about here… just to love each other. The moon has become a symbol of that love to me – you may know it as “spirit” or choose to see it through the lens of Buddism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism… or thru simplicity, friendship...so many possibilities...
The beauty of this to me is that every day I know there are moonbeams – pieces of this love shining down. The hope of my little girl is one, my friends, my family. The people I love and those who love me are moonbeams, perhaps you reading this now are a moonbeam…all reflecting a little love and light into this world and into my sometimes dark life.
I love this book’s metaphor for life, its struggles, and the overwhelming touch of love. It lends a powerful icon to the love in my life. Hence, my moonbeam…I’m waiting to see her.

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the moonbeams in my life...my parents, my family, my friends, the hope of my daughter, my dogs.... I'm also grateful to those of you who allow me to reflect a little love your way. Happy thanksgiving folks, have a wonderful shiny day.