I find it easier to talk to God in the arms of nature with it's solitude. Last night I got to do that after coming home from a friends house last night. A few miles away from where I live, there is a fishing pond. In the summer, I occasionally go there during the night, when it's still with silence. Actuallly that's not really true! I can hear the crickets sing in harmony, the sound of the water draining into the well in the lake, and hear the trees whisper as the wind blows them side to side. Though there is a road next to it and an occasional car passes by, it's easy to get lost in the silence. I can see the lights of the houses that are on the one side of the lake. I will look up to the heavens and see the billions of stars that blanket the dark sky above and they multiply in the reflection of the lake before me.

As I said before, I actually went there last night. It's often too cold to do it in the winter so I usally have to wait until spring. With the weather actually a bit warmer, I decided to just seek out this solitude last night. I spent a few minutes there to reflect what has happened with the Columbia and just wanted to talk with God about life. I don't think I can do that in church as most people would believe.

For the longest time, I just stared out at the vast night sky in reflection. I could feel that there were several new stars up there in honor of the astronauts. I could just feel that each star is all our ancestors, looking down upon us in both hope and confusion for our future. Our destiny belongs out there, to explore the far depth of not only physical space, but of the space that lies within us we call the human mind and emotion.

Even though it was only a few minutes that I was there, it helped calm my heart and soul. It's often a struggle to deal with hardships and whine over missed opportunities, but in this way, it helps with meditation. I found that in solitude, even though it's very lonely, you often find more of yourself in those moments.