The First Convertible Ride

Oh, to be three and a half again, and on your first convertible ride . . . at night, no less! The fall air was a little chilly as we sped away from the suburban lights, but we forgot about it when we began to see some stars. Asha began counting: “I see one star, I see four . . . five stars . . . I see one hundred stars! I mentioned that God has put each star in its place and knows the name of every one. As we started up the darker mountain extension, Asha pointed out yet another star so I asked what she thought its name might be. Without hesitation she answered, “Starry Bari.” We were still laughing at her unconscious play on words—Sari Bari is a cause her parents championed in India—when her precious preschool lisp rang out again. “It’s so beautiful! I can’t stand it!" And that it was. The breeze. The moon. The dim silhouette of hills and trees. A simple ride with the top down had become a holy moment I’ll never forget. And a few months from now, when I’m lonesome for my precious friends on the other side of the planet, I will look up into the heavens knowing that Asha and “Starry Bari” are exactly where God has placed them and that He knows both of them by name. “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3