Orion

When I was a little girl, my Granddad taught me some of the constellations in the night sky.  Most notably, Orion and Cassiopeia.  Those are the two I remember the most.

Something strange has happened to me, many, many times over the years since my Granddad passed away.  It'll be dark, sometimes at night, sometimes in the early morning.  I'll look up to see the stars, or see if I can even see any stars, and I'm looking right at Orion. 

Though I have an interest in space, I never know where Orion will be but, SO many times, I turn my eyes up and I'm looking right at him.  It's happened in different parts of the world, and at different times.  Sometimes in a city, sometimes out in the middle of nowhere.  I've come to think of this as my Granddad saying hello.  Maybe it's silly, but it is a comfort.  Often, I glance up at the sky during moments of uncertainly, or before starting another adventure, and there he is. 

My response to this is usually something along the lines of smiling and saying,

"Hi, Granddad."

I'm feeling adrift in another period of uncertainty, stacked on top of uncertainty, with a side of uncertainty right now.  I randomly decided to go outside tonight, at 11pm, to empty the compost bucket and put some papers and cardboard in the burn barrel.  No, I didn't need to venture out into the arctic tundra at night to do these things, but I wanted to.  Partway across the yard, I wondered if I could see the stars tonight.  I glanced up and there was Orion, of course, right in my line of sight.  I stopped in my tracks. 

"Hi, Granddad...  Am I doing the right thing...?" I asked. 

There was no answer.  I didn't expect one. 

As I studied the constellation in the silent, cold night air, something else occurred to me.  There was a scattered pattern of clouds up there, thin, but numerous, with gaps and lines in between them.  Every star of Orion was shining bright through a break in the cloud cover.

After marveling over this, I said, "I do know that you'll be with me, no matter what." 

I finished my spontaneous late night chores and when I glanced up again, Orion was behind the clouds.

Until next time, Granddad.