Our Light

Over the past summer I had a very philosophical and romantic conversation with a friend about our lives. As we lay on our backs and stared up at the abundance of stars in the night sky, we realized that long after we are gone, somewhere out in the giant universe our light will continue to travel. By our light I mean the light that is reflected off of all of us. It's a light that was created by the sun, has been reflected off of me and has been traveling the universe for 21 years now.

Recently, while studying for an astronomy exam I found this in my book:
Light always travels at the same speed, so your own light (light that you emit or reflect) is always moving ahead of you at the speed of light. All other observers will also see your light moving at the speed of light–and because it is moving ahead of you...

In regard to the tragedies that have been occurring around the world in the past few days (especially within my circle of friends, Virginia Tech and the bombings in Iraq) the conversation with my friend continues to come to mind. To me it's a kind of reminder that, if nothing else, we will have permanence somewhere in the universe.