This morning, before first light, as I sat staring into the vast expanse of stars, I watched a meteor streak across the sky, so bright it left a wide fiery tail in its wake. It filled me with a sense of awe. As I pondered this ephemeral gift I remembered that what I had seen was a piece of space debris left over from a passing comet, probably no bigger than a grain of sand, fifty or sixty miles above me. So, apparently, size, distance, age, and status have no bearing on the capacity of something (or someone) to inspire and leave a positive impression. That tiny bit of space dust burned up almost instantly, but not before it lit up the sky. We all die. Some lives are longer than others, but however long or short, in the time that we are here we can shine. I want to live in such a way that I light up someone’s life, even if only for a moment. If a bit of comet residue can do it, so can I.