When I look up at the stars, the view of the sky always takes my breath away. There is something about being surrounded by the velvety black of the sky with the light pricks of stars that makes everything here feel small. Sometimes it is good to feel small. When life is overwhelming, stargazing helps me connect with an inner peace. A natural calm and appreciation for all that is, was, and will be just seems to come with the view of the stars in the sky.

Late at night, it was never unusual for me to get a text from Kody that said, “Go outside. You have to see the sky.” We both lived out in the country and so the view of the stars in the sky was always powerful. Out of the city lights, there was just darkness and peace. You could see every tiny star and the moon often lit up the ground. Later, when we lived together, in the evening, it wasn’t unusual for me to find Kody standing outside, staring up at the sky. There were even times that we would drive out into the country together just to watch the sky.

I remember one specific time, we took my car out to the middle of nowhere, just so that we could see the meteors falling. We lay on a rock staring up at the sky and pointed the shooting stars out to one another. There was silence between the streaks of the meteors, but it was the comfortable silence of two people without a care in the world. For a moment in time, all worries were suspended, all problems delayed. We lay there in awe of the velvety sky and streaks of light.

Last night, while out walking one of my dogs, I stared up at the sky. The darkness out at the ocean is so complete. It is easy to see the meteors out here even when they peaked days ago. I saw one dart across the sky, then another. I hadn’t even known a meteor shower was happening. Kody would have known. He’d of told me to look at the sky.

All the stars in the sky make me feel so much closer to him. It’s as if I could reach out and touch his hand, the way I used to when we were watching them together. When the meteors dash across the sky, I can’t help pointing them out to anyone or even just to myself. It is easy to feel a part of something bigger when surrounded by the soft black sky.