Second Star From the Right

Star Stuff.... that's what we are all made of.  No matter how you put  it, we are made of the same things as the stars.  When I was little my brother and I would sleep out on the lawn and watch the stars for hours before finally falling asleep.  He would look for the constellations and when he found one he'd show it to me, then he would tell me the story.  Whenever he found Orion's Belt he'd find the rest of him and then look at me and say, "Al, you know what we're made of?"  I would usually say something like, "Bones and guts and stuff?"  He would laugh and say, "No, we're made of Star Stuff.  The same as Orion.  We are just like him.  No matter what you do, always shoot for the stars, 'cause no matter what, you'll always be made of Star Stuff."  We'd lay there for hours, he'd tell stories and jokes, and no matter what he said, even if it was so absurd that it was almost verging on insanity, I hung on every word.  I would ask questions and see if the answers matched what I thought they did. 
Then one day, after almost five summers of just looking at the stars, my brother looked at me and said, "Al, I'm going to go there someday.  I'm going to shoot for the stars.  I'll live with Orion, and he and I will rule the night skies.  I'll be in the stars with all my Star Stuff and a picture of you."  He turned 16 then, and we never went out to lay on the grass... we haven't done so since.  I'll look at the stars and think of those nights, and maybe I'll be able to find the stars he pointed out all those years ago...
My brother now lives at home again, and I think of asking if he wants to relive those nights, and I'll think of the night he gave me my star.  The middle star in the series of three in Orion's Belt.  The night he said the one thing I'll never forget, it was as if it was yesterday.  He looked up and pointed to the star, and said, just like we have heard Peter Pan say countless times, "We'll be going to that one, the second star on the right, straight on through till morning."  I'd laugh and say, "Aye, Aye Captain!"  I think of those nights a lot now.  Now that it is my turn to see what lies in store in Orion's belt, I feel like a kid again, laying in the grass and laughing at the stories my best friend told me.
He was the only one who really encouraged me to write, and he made life almost magical.  Even if the stories weren't real, he made them real to me.  The other night I couldn't sleep, so I went downstairs for a drink of water, my brother was sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of milk in his hands.  "Couldn't sleep?"  I asked, he just nodded.  My brother is a very talkative person when he is with the people he trusts, and not hearing him say anything, made me nervous.  I got my water and sat down next to him.  "What's goin' on?"
"Oh, not much," He said and his voice cracked.
"Is everything okay?" I saw a small, lonely tear hit the table.
"Do you remember the Star Stuff?"  He asked.
"Of course.  How could I forget?" I smiled, a small smile.
"Al, my Star Stuff isn't doin' so well, and I want you to know, that no matter how bad things get, all you have to do is follow that star.  The second one to the right, just follow it.  Straight on through till morning."  He sniffed and took a sip of milk.  I could feel him trembling from holding back the tears in his eyes.  "Al, never give up on the Stars... They make us who we are.  I know that I haven't been the best brother in the world, but I want you to keep shooting for the stars,  Orion will catch you if you fall.  He remembers what you look like..."  He looked at me then, tears in his eyes threatening to spill over.  "Write your heart out, give your soul a voice, never give up because of the people around you.  Al, shoot for that star, and even if I'm not around you can look up and the second star from the right and see that I'm still there."
"I know."  was all I could say.  We sat there for a moment longer before I stood up to go back to bed, and I said softly, "Just shoot for the star, and everything will be fine."

So People, I tell you that, no matter what happens, the Star Stuff never fails, Orion will alway be there to catch you if you fall, and no matter what happens, I'll always be on my way to the second star from the right.  That seemed a round about way of telling the story, but it's how the story happened. 
The Journey never ends, it simply gets better.  That star will never move, and just remember, it only takes till morning to get there. 
Happy day, smile and happy sailing!