STAR JAR

Glass jar,  possibly a former pickle jar or maybe a honey jar, 3.5" x 5.5"

When I lived in a refurbished church in an Ontario village, it was the same year that my father was dying in a town about 300 km north of my home. I did a lot of driving in those years, both to teach and perform in other cities, and to see my dear Dad as often as possible. At home, in the kitchen, I had a long work table, and I kept a cutting mat and X-acto retractable boxcutter on the table. Anytime some thin cardboard came into the kitchen, as in cat food boxes, cereal boxes, tea boxes etc, I would salvage and cut into stars, then drop the stars into the jar. If you gently shake the jar each time, the stars settle, and you can put hundreds of stars into one jar. And even fragile ones made from washed foil yogurt lids will keep their points intact. Ever aware of the contrast between now and eternity, I dated some of them. Amazing. And you can use them in many ways. . . make a hole with an awl (or push pin) and add a thread to hang them on your Christmas tree, or anywhere that needs a star. You can paint them or write encouraging notes on them to tuck into someone's pocket. You can probably think of other things. YOU can make more stars and add to the jar. Just remember to shake the jar gently to make room.