like looking through a window to the sky above, only each constellation was identified and labeled. Orion, Cassiopeia, Aquarius, Andromeda...they were all artfully displayed before us. The guide followed our every movement in real time and updated the map to reveal and locate every celestial body in the night sky. “What is that bright star over there?” I said pointing over the trees to my left. The Captain moved the iPad in the direction that I was pointing until the star that I was curious about was visible on the screen. Instantly, the app identified it. “That is actually Jupiter,” explained the Captain. “You know, we can even find the International Space Station with this. We can find satellites or see what the sky looked like on a past date or in the future. Look, here, at the moon. This tells us that it is 97% full tonight. Pretty impressive, isn’t it?” Star Walk is an incredible way to view the constellations and to learn about the world above us. This is 21st century star gazing. So much precise and extensive information available at our fingertips--it is difficult to wrap my head around. Technology is often mind boggling to me. It changes the way I view the stars, but not how they make me feel. When something memorable happens, some people remember what they were wearing.
120 BayouLife Magazine MARCH 2014
Others relate memories to songs. For some reason, I always seem to recall what the sky looked like when something fantastic happens. As clearly as I can see her soft, chubby, little face and bubble gum pink lips in my mind, I can see the technicolor sunset on the day I brought my first daughter home from the hospital. Early last Spring, I remember the bright, full moon overhead and the happiness I felt cruising down the Ouachita River on Glen Northcott's yacht after a photo shoot with my BayouLife friends. The night breeze was chilly, but we kept warm huddled together under blankets and laughing at each other. And the night I ended up off the beaten path and way out in the sticks, when I first realized that it might be possible to fall in love again, I remember how amazing and breathtaking the stars looked. At that moment, the night sky looked hopeful and full of possibility. Stars and sunsets--those are as much a part of my memory as the actual event. As much as the precious memories that come to mind, the beauty of a dark night reminds me of the countless lifetimes that have been lived under that singular sky. The stars and planets remain long after we are gone, connecting us to our personal past and the generations of the future. Looking up at the heavens above, the night wraps itself around me like a dark blanket, dotted with sparkling stars that watch over us and whisper promises of a new day.