Thought for the Week

It was the most perfect night.

The sky at Dunkeld was dark and clear as we sat by the loch waiting to see Jupiter rise close to the moon.

Soon they were both in alignment and reflected perfectly in the still water.

Our collies barked at the moon, apparently submerged deep in the loch.

The air was still and the scent of blossom lingered in the warm night air.

It was beautiful and the wonders of the night sky were as amazing as the beauties of the day.

Then I was aware of something drifting across the heavens.

It was too slow for a plane and too deliberate for a shooting star.

It was then we realised it was the International Space Station.

This amazing laboratory in the sky was right above us and seemed at home in the depth of the universe.

We watched it until it disappeared over the hills and we wondered what life was like for the three astronauts on board.

What did Earth look like from the crew’s perspective?

Evidently our planet is very beautiful when viewed from space.

I wonder if they can see the scars on our planet?

Can they can see the war-ravaged landscapes, the refugees adrift on oceans of hopelessness, the borders built with bricks and barbed wire?

I wonder if they can see the places untarnished by human beings, the places where the animals still live at peace, where some ethnic people just live life and don’t worry about possessions or power or kudos, where beauty has the last word.

The space station noiselessly left us to savour the tangible peace of the moment. If only the world could feel that peace – and live it.