We Are Made of Stars

by Rochelle B. Weinstein

The darker the night, the brighter the stars.

“When a marriage doesn’t work, Henry, admitting it’s best to move on isn’t defeat. Defeat is staying. Defeat is wading through a loveless union where children grow up believing that’s the norm.”

Sienna could easily be the sun, radiant and bold, tough to look at directly, but you always feel her presence.

Everyone at the inn has a past, a story. And when they gather, they become pieces of a puzzle, fitting together to make a much bigger picture.

His star might be bright, but he prefers a steady dimness away from the shine.

sometimes the best marriages are tested, and forgiveness is for the strong. The weak held on to rage.

“Kids can test us. But in my experience, it’s crucial they express their individuality. And for parents to learn to accept that individuality.”

Henry’s describing the universe as a metaphor for life, how we’re all made of stars and an energy that pulls us near and far, how the final frontier means possibility, facing the unknown. Leo looks as though he’s trying to make sense of the idea, as if any of it will bring Penny back. “The sky is a canvas for our imagination,” Henry continues. “The stars are dreams and goals, and the constellations are the connections that shape our story. When the universe speaks, you need to listen.”

“You can feel two things at once. You can love him and hate him. They’re not mutually exclusive.”

Instead, they held their separate grief, and relationships don’t work if you don’t fight demons together.

“But asking questions is good. It shows you’re curious about people. Too many people only talk about themselves.”

Loving someone’s easy. Living without them—that’s what you need to figure out. And if you can’t live without them, then do everything in your power to fix this.”

We’re stars, circling the sky, trying to find our way. We’re light and dark, and sometimes our shine hurts. Some of us fly high, others fall to Earth.

“We’re just people with flaws and faults.”

“We are not our mistakes. We are not our parents’ mistakes. Or our loved ones’.”

“Some people are just limited. That’s all. It doesn’t mean there’s no love. It just means they’re incapable of more.”

“We can’t hold on to the things we can’t control, Henry,” she said. “We can only find the lesson and a way to move on.”

They have all made mistakes, poor decisions that lacked good judgment. The choices weren’t made in a vacuum. There were variables and circumstances—much like in the sky and the constellations—that made events happen. Some resulted in explosions, others resulted in falling stars. He realizes that people aren’t always bad, but some decisions are.

This isn’t entirely about forgiveness. It’s about understanding that sometimes the stars align, and sometimes they fly off course and learn to coexist.