To young relatives

One of my great sorrows is that, of necessity, most of your life will pass in my absence. Like the glimmering stars in the night sky, you will be unknown to me except for a few pinpricks of pure white light in an otherwise impenetrable night sky.

But know this - the night sky is filled with stars.

They are hidden to us by distance and the extraneous material of the cosmos, but they are there nonetheless. And, though we can not see them we should take comfort in their presence. Because, if we could but see them, we would know that their light outshines all the radiance of the day.