{"product_id":"2940152924930","title":"In This Vast Sea of Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003eSo often in my life I’ve felt lost, alone, at the mercy of huge and powerful forces. The universe was hostile, dangerous, vast and complex. I frequently felt helpless, depressed, fragile, and ultimately out of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne night I was camping out, lying on the grass in total darkness in a remote mountain area. The stars were out with no city lights blotting their brilliance. My friend showed me how to use his binoculars to see the Andromeda Galaxy. Even with the powerful magnification, the cluster looked small, but it had the distinct and recognizable shape of a spiral galaxy. Everywhere I looked millions of stars scattered across the sky, and they seemed to go on forever. I was overcome by an acute awareness of just how vast and magnificent is our universe, peering out at a fraction, realizing how small I am.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt age 44 I was introduced to spirituality and began to slowly embrace a genuine relationship with a power greater than myself. Since then I have grown to rely on this power to help me in every aspect of my life. I no longer feel so small and alone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNow, at age 62, I am present this book of poetry and art with -- I believe -- God’s help. This collection of poems touches on my feelings of being on a puny planet, endlessly orbiting a rather average-sized star. I am not alone and will not be at the mercy of hostile forces that torture and destroy. There is reason to have faith in the spiritual essence of the universe - call it God or whatever power you perceive. We are here for a purpose, which is the beautiful and terrifying divine mystery of life. May I live it well and may these poems strike resonant chords in your own life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIN THIS VAST SEA OF STARS\u003cbr\u003eWe are visitors here in our bodies\u003cbr\u003eLittle boats living in this vast sea of stars\u003cbr\u003ePeering out into a tiny fraction of the whole\u003cbr\u003eBillions and trillions of brightly glowing suns\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach so distant they appear as small white lights\u003cbr\u003eCoalescing in countless galaxies spinning on their\u003cbr\u003eEndless unfathomable journeys\u003cbr\u003eWe circling one bright yellow star in our Milky Way\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a little blue, green, and white world\u003cbr\u003eSome say we are the only intelligent life\u003cbr\u003eI am certain we are as common as grains of sand\u003cbr\u003eIn the waters of the broad oceans of earth\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe universe - bigger and more awesome\u003cbr\u003ethan any of us can ever imagine\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt offers me solace\u003cbr\u003eTo be one infinitesimal part of the whole,\u003cbr\u003eReaching out to the Creator of this vast sea of stars\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003epicture the instability of a galaxy spinning\u003cbr\u003ewith millions of star systems pushing and pulling in\u003cbr\u003eall directions\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003etake the shortcut home right before dawn\u003cbr\u003eafter driving all night\u003cbr\u003epull over and look at the stars\u003cbr\u003eclose my eyes and relax\u003cbr\u003esometimes 5 minutes of sleep saves lives\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eask yourself “why am I alive?”\u003cbr\u003e“in this body”\u003cbr\u003e“on this planet”\u003cbr\u003e”in this galaxy”\u003cbr\u003e“at this time”\u003cbr\u003e“Why me?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eand open your eyes\u003cbr\u003eimagine all\u003cbr\u003ethe\u003cbr\u003epossibilities\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo Cleave\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo much touch. It hurts.\u003cbr\u003eBending in. Stars surrounded by black space.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe soul I had, once abandoned, now\u003cbr\u003ealive again, straining to be heard. To feel a\u003cbr\u003evalued part of something larger. Seeking to let God in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe flesh with its concerns. The friend of hers\u003cbr\u003edying. The cancer, slowed, sped up, an operation\u003cbr\u003eto cut it out, followed by a massive stroke. He hovers\u003cbr\u003eon the edge of his abyss. She cries. I am alert\u003cbr\u003eto it. The world ends now.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy disease communicates within. Hating\u003cbr\u003eitself for what it is, living inside as long as I go on.\u003cbr\u003eSurviving though I do not feed it what it says it needs.\u003cbr\u003eEven this part of me suffers when it gets what it\u003cbr\u003ewants of me.\u003cbr\u003eI cannot win.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou will lose even me. It is the nature of\u003cbr\u003ethings to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGood and bad in you. And me. It is not what\u003cbr\u003ewe touch so much as how we cleave. Do we feel what\u003cbr\u003eit is I see? And what of Arthur’s death? Pending. The\u003cbr\u003enature of the beast.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patrick J. Leach","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47110923354352,"sku":"2940152924930","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940152924930_p0.jpg?v=1764026051","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940152924930","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}