Starla Counts the Song in Stars

Starla was a little star who loved to keep the gentlest kind of count. Every time the little one sang a line of the lullaby, Starla lit up one more star in the night sky — soft and twinkly, one for each line.

The little one sang the first line: one star blinked awake. The second line: two stars. By the end of the song, a whole little cluster glowed overhead — a picture of everything they’d sung. Small steps, one at a time, add up to a sky full of stars.

Here was Starla’s kindest rule: a wobbly line still lit a star. A shy, tiny line still lit a star. Starla only ever counted up — she never took a star away, not once. Every bit of singing counts, exactly as it is.

Some nights there were three stars, some nights a dozen, and on sleepy nights just one warm star — and every count was something to feel proud of. Starla twinkled goodnight. Look how far you sang tonight. Look at your sky.