He Calleth Them By Name

Hale Bopp Comet became visible to the naked eye in April of 1997. I distinctly remember this event and it made a profound impression on me,  the rest of my teenage years this picture hung on my wall

 

 

Under it, I printed, Psalms 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. This got me through my teenage years.  Surely if God knew every single one of those stars, he knew me. Since then I have pondered stars quite a bit.

 

The Christmas Star. What was it? Why was it the chosen symbol?  Could it be a type and a shadow of things, to come?  That Christ was the Light of the World, he would show us the way to go to come back to him?  At Christmas we have stars to remind us of this glorious sign.  But we also have Christmas Lights,  to me they represent all the other stars,  the little ones, we too must let our light shine for all those around us to see to help them back to our Savior. Matthew 5:16 tells us to, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

 

Every night I sing songs to my kids as part of our bed time routine. My two year old has been a bit slow to start talking and in the last few days she has figured out how to say "star"  and she has figured out that she can request a song by telling me "star"  I know two songs about stars, and I am not positive which it is she is requesting so I sing both to her.

 

I am Like a Star by Patricia Kelsey Graham

 

I am like a star shining brightly,

Smiling for the whole world to see.

I can do and say happy things each day,

For I know Heav’nly Father loves me.

 

Such a simple song that teaches us all about the symbols of stars, and that stars are there to remind us nightly of God's love for us.

 

The other Song that I know about stars is

 

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,

 

Most people know the first verse of this song and don't even know the rest of the verses of the song.

 

The poem was written by Jane Taylor here is it in it's entirety

 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

How could he see where to go,

If you did not twinkle so?

In the dark blue sky you keep,

Often through my curtains peep

For you never shut your eye,

Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark

Lights the traveler in the dark,

Though I know not what you are,

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

 

I go up to our cabin often and when I do I have to go look at the sky with no city lights and wonder in awe at the amazing milky way,  and I stand amazed at God's creations. And I contemplate God's love for me, and what I must do to let my light shine.

 

My girls are hitting the pre teenage years. I know that life is about to get really complicated for them. So to try and give them something to carry them through their rough years coming their way I made each of them a star quilt.

 

 

 

Each star shines differently and shares it's own light.

 

In addition to their blankets I gave each one of them a matching sign and a book that corresponds to the sign.

 

To one I gave the book Daughter of a King

 

It is an awesome story of a girl knowing she is a princess, and remembering that even when other's don't believe her.  I made the sign  out of a board that I bought at Johann's fabric store I bought two 12 x 18 boards.  Cut one down to a board that was 12 x 12 and one that was 6 x 12  for my three separate signs.  I then created an individual sign using the story to create a motivational piece of art for their room. Each one I painted black and used my sisters Silhouette machine to cut vinyl and then I modged podged over it to give it a bit of a sheen and make sure the vinyl stayed down.  just as a warning the glitter and the metallic were awful to cut.

 

For my toddler I got her Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star with the complete poem.

 

 

And for my Oldest I got Your Happily Ever After

 

 

Amazon's description of the book: Sometimes we need a reminder that life was never all sunshine and roses for fairy-tale princesses. Before the true love's kisses and happily ever afters, there were poisoned apples, spindle pricks, and impossible tasks. Speaking to the princesses of our Heavenly King, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf compares our challenges to those faced by famous fairy-tale heroines. Recounting Belle's captivity, Cinderella's servitude, and the miller's daughter's sacrifices, President Uchtdorf emphasizes that each princess had to overcome adversity before she reached her happily ever after.

I hope that as they go through the next few years, stars can grow to mean as much to them as they do to me.  That they can receive strengthen from knowing that if the Lord knows every star that he surely knows them too.  And that they can let their light shine (no matter it's color or shape) and Glorify their Father in Heaven.