The Constant Moon

 

 

 

 

The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand. 

 

~Frederick L. Knowles

 

 



 

 

Some people mark their days by hours and minutes or use months and years to record the passing of time.  I think I am much more apt to use my awareness of each season as well as the moon and the stars to navigate the passing day.  As I think back over my life, I am much more inclined to remember being held by a moon beam rather than the exact time of day.

 

Being born in June, I am categorized as a Moon Child.  I didn't have this information as a child, so my attachment to the moon is curious to me.  I can remember as a young child lying flat on my back in the middle of the yard looking up at the clouds in the sky.  The grass tickled the backs of my legs and my arm shielded my eyes from the hot summer sun.  Then there would be a pause between the floating puffs of cotton in the sky, and  a vague image of the moon would appear.  What a delightful surprise!  This unexpected glimpse spread happiness throughout my young body.  I felt strangely connected and safe in my skin.

 

As I grew older, there were many cold winter nights spent searching for answers from the moon shining so brightly in the sky.  Serious questions only a dramatic teen could ask.  Even then, I was somehow appeased by the time spent with the moon.  The moon remained my constant through college and the years to follow.

 

"I see the moon and the moon sees me," I read to my children of four.  I would teach them of this connection for them to respect and honor during their lonely days upon this rich earth.  The moon could be present for them long after I am gone.

 

When there is a huge harvest moon or an unusual blue moon, I find myself wondering if my children are being embraced by this mesmerizing glow.  I wonder if they too remain connected with the mystical performance of the moon dancing across the sky. 

 

Who are you moon and what do you really mean to me?  Perhaps such questions are unimportant, as long as I continue to feel this pull.  For me, this warm embrace is unlike all of the others.  It is one that never falters.