The Storyteller and the Stars

Brian Berg / Gathering Storm, Quicksilver Expedition
Manresa Campout, 9 Oct. 2004

When you look up at the stars in the sky on a night like this, what do you see? Do you see the Big Dipper? Do you see any planets? Do you see stars? People have always wondered about the heavenly bodies that we see above us at night. Constellations were created to help pick out the individual stars.

If you think about how many stars there are in the sky, you might feel small and unimportant in comparison. I felt that way when I first learned that the universe is filled with trillions of stars. If there's so much other stuff out there, how could I have any importance?

While I wondered this, I also knew that I was surrounded by people who cared about me. That's how I feel here tonight. I'm with friends, both old and new. I'm also with my daughter, Natalie.

She and I enjoy telling each other if we happen to see the clouds turning colors around sunset. One of us will run to the other and say "Check out the sky!" We'll rush to see the pink colors together, knowing they won't last long.

Just like the beautiful pink of a sunset fades ever-so-fast, so do the opportunities to share times together. Before we know it, our girls will be young ladies in high school, and then they'll move away to college.

A weekend at the beach. If we hadn't planned this event, would you and your daughter be doing something special together somewhere else? For most of us, the answer is probably no.

This is a special time. Moments like this are worth the world. The memories of this weekend will burn bright inside of us if we let them. I treasure this time here tonight.

How many of you who were in the Indian Princess and Adventure Guides programs remember your first campout in that program? I know I'll always have memories of this first event of our new Quicksilver Expedition.

For all of you I wish the gift of bright memories that will linger in your hearts long after this weekend. The best thing us dads can have is the knowledge that our daughters will remember times like this long after they have moved on in their lives. These girls will always be our shining stars. Let's hope us dads will always be their dear friend.