Under the night’s sky

The stars of the night sky took my mind to a night not much different than this. I and my father were in the courtyard. He took me out there to show me the beauty of a starry sky. He rested his hands on my shoulders, looked at the sky, then spoke to me.

“We are all stars, my son, remember that. Some shine brighter than others. Your star is up there too, and even if now you can’t see it, a time will come for it to shine bright. I hope to be around to see it. If by any reason I will not be around, remember what I’m going to tell you.”  I nodded, though I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time. It seemed to be enough for him.

“What you need to know it’s already yours. It has always been this way. Whatever life puts in your path, it’s there to teach you something, to make you better, and there is nothing of what you’ll have to face that you can’t overcome. It’s been given to you because you are the one who can make it right. No one else.

Though at times, the weight of the responsibilities may seem too heavy to be carried, you must focus on moving forward. As little of a step in the right direction, it’s still progress. As long as you’re still moving everything it’s solvable. The moment you choose to stop, to give up, then you are lost. So, my son, don’t worry about what may come, you’ll be fine. As long as you pay attention to what is happening now, what comes tomorrow will never be able to stop you.”

For a long time, I haven’t grasped the full meaning of what he meant. But I’ve carried these words of my father with me all my life. Like many of the things my father taught me, this acted as a lighthouse leading me to shore whenever I was lost.

Now, all that he ever passed on to me, and all I have learned on my own path will have to be enough to provide me with what I need to do the best in this situation. Even so, my mind seems to go blank at times. I’ve turned this on every side I could see.

I still can’t find the way of action for which I can accept what is lost, compared to what is won because by now I understood, whatever way I’ll go, there will be loss. I’m sure the people that stand by me know this, too. And they are still behind me. So, by sunrise, the world might change for the worst, but at least it will still be here.

As for us, the ones crazy enough to believe we can do what needs to be done, regardless of the cost for ourselves, we’ll go into the light and be true. This is as much as any good man can hope for.