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Every night for nearly ten years, I accompanied Lucy and Gracie to the backyard of our Auburn, California home before they retired to their indoor kennels. Our trip outdoors became something of an evening ritual, a time of quiet reflection under the stars; a welcome relief to the hurried demands of the day. I don't know how much reflection Lucy and Gracie enjoyed on those evenings together; But, I do know, they found the trips outside to be a welcome relief.
As I waited upon Lucy and Gracie to finish their rounds, my attention would often drift heavenward to the myriad stars in the Sierra sky. More often than not, depending upon the season, the constellation Orion, the hunter, stood out from among the host. With his club raised high above his head, his faithful presence reinforced the sense of home and refuge.
Nearly five years ago--has that much time really passed?--Lucy and Gracie made the move with Kathy and I to northeastern Louisiana. By the time we arrived at our new home, movers and friends had emptied the truck and were nearly finished transforming our house into our home. Lucy and Gracie ran through the front door and into the house, where they immediately saw the wooden boat filled with their toys in its familiar place next to the couch. For the next several minutes, their faces were buried in the boat, taking inventory of their belongings. From our vantage point, all we saw was their ecstatic tails, side by side, expressing their pleasure after far too many days on the road.
They were home.
That first night, I accompanied Lucy and Gracie to the backyard of our Louisiana home before they retired to their indoor kennels. As they finished their rounds, my attention drifted heavenward to the spacious Southern skies. There kneeling above our home, with club raised, was our familiar friend, Orion.
We were home.
Over the past five years, so much of the landscape of what once was home has changed. Family members have passed. The backyard is now empty. And yet, new faces and spaces have filled my heart and life. And every now and then, I take a walk outside in the evening, and my attention is drawn to the heavens. And there, standing out from among the host, is Orion.
I am home.
As I've grown older,
As my spirit's become wiser,
The world's become smaller,
And home's grown larger.
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