Sparking Thought

Bright little SPARK, please tell me where you’re going,

Flying through the chimney this chilly autumn night,

High up above, the autumn winds are blowing,

And I’m afraid, they may blow out your light.

Stars all about, their gentle lights are beaming,

You will never reach them. You could not fly so high.

You’re light goes out, but theirs will glow forever,

Oh, don’t you wish that you could be a star?

When they were small, lullaby time was a sacred space —a time for me to pass down songs that had once lulled me to peaceful rest. In these precious moments, calm covered my children and me. They drifted off to sleep to my slightly out-of-key crooning.

“That’s not right, Mama,” my little preschool astronomer interrupted. “Stars don’t really last forever. Remember the show we watched? They explode!” My literalist was right. They sure last longer than a spark from the fireplace, though.

I left the bedroom pondering these things. Many lullabies aren’t true. But they fill a space in my heart with wonder. They carry a chain from my Nana to Mom to me and onward. There is something in a lullaby more true than exploding stars.

Our lives are like vapors. We are here today but gone so soon. Nana and Mom don’t walk with us now, only their melodies and memories remain in our midst. What can I do that will last beyond this moment? How can I rise above my little life?

Lord, please help us shine like stars. Help us to love in Your strength. This day will quickly end. Night falls sooner in autumn. Let us not be lulled by the mundane things in our days. Let us instead do everything with cheerful hearts as unto You. This is the way we hold out Your truth to a world in need of light.