“The storm has passed." He nodded toward the clearing skies. "The stars have come out." He paused and gazed upward. "I miss them when I'm not at sea. Out on the ocean they sparkle all around you. 'Tis like standing at the gates of heaven.""Sounds glorious.”

“Various stars. Various kings.Various sunsets, signs, cursory insights.Many minute attentions, many knowledgeable watchers,Much cold, much overbearing darkness.Various long midwinter Glooms.Various Solitary and Terrible Stars.Many Frosty Nights, many previously Unseen Sky-flowers.Many people setting out (some of them kings) all clutching at stars....Various people coming home (some of them kings). Various headlights.Two or three children standing or sitting on the low wall.Various winds, the Sea Wind, the sound-laden Winds of EveningBlowing the stars toward them, bringing snow.”

“Love is like that tree. Every storm it breaks, but when the storm is over and the sky has cleared it is never broken.”

“Love ForeverIf I were the trees ...I would turn my leaves to gold and scatter them toward the sky so they would circle about your head and fall in piles at your feet...so you might know wonder.If I were the mountains ...I would crumble down and lift you up so you could see all of my secret places, where the rivers flow and the animals run wild ...so you might know freedom.If I were the ocean ...I would raise you onto my gentle waves and carry you across the seas to swim with the whales and the dolphins in the moonlit waters,so you might know peace.If I were the stars ...I would sparkle like never before and fall from the sky as gentle rain,so that you would always look towards heaven and know that you can reach the stars.If I were the moon ...I would scoop you up and sail you through the sky and show you the Earth below in all its wonder and beauty, so you might know that all the Earth is at your command.If I were the sun ...I would warm and glow like never before and light the sky with orange and pink,so you would gaze upward and always know the glory of heaven.But I am me ...and since I am the one who loves you, I will wrap you in my arms and kiss you and love you with all of my heart,and this I will do until ...the mountains crumble down ...and the oceans dry up ...and the stars fall from the sky ...and the sun and moon burn out ...And that is forever.”

“The stars have come to the earth, and the ocean has turned over the ground; dark waves meet the sky.”

“The storm long past, the night sky was beset with stars. Pointing upward, I asked her to pick a point of light and stay with it. Standing up, I eased Sara to her feet. Whispering into her ear, I asked, “Have you ever stood under a star... and felt the earth move under your feet?”