Not so long ago, there was a mother.

A mother whose freckled smile always rose up to her cheeks gracefully as she smiled down at the newborn baby in her arms. He was her tiny baby, so small she could easily cradle him with one arm.

His large, happy green eyes matched hers perfectly and his delightful laughter in turn gave her the greatest joy she knew.

Babies were never always happy, of course she knew this. So whenever her tiny love began to cry, she sang him a lullaby.

Constant as the stars above,

Always know that you are loved.

And my love shining in you,

Will help you make your dreams come true.

She'd sing to him beautifully, gently; smiling down at her baby as he slowly drifted off into sleep.

As a few years passed and she could no longer use just one arm to hold him like she used to do, she would still cradle him close to her and kiss him gently to make him giggle.

He was a curious little boy now; an explorer at heart, always on some new adventure. He'd get into all sorts of trouble and test his mother's patience to the ends of the earth. But she always remained understanding.

She'd follow him on his adventures, assisting when his tiny arms could not pull himself up onto a chair. She'd hide small gifts for him to find and act as surprised as ever when he triumphantly presented to her his treasure.

And when her little boy was too tired to even crawl back up the stairs, she would gently cradle him close and sing him to sleep.

Constant as the stars above,

Always know that you are loved.

And my love shining in you,

Will help you make your dreams come true.

Years continued to pass still as he grew and grew. She was there to see him off on his first day of school and there to receive him when he came rushing home, excitement spilling from his nearly every word.

He loved learning. She knew he would. His curiosity was neverending; a ceaseless need for an answer to his every question.

A day did not go by where he we wouldn't have some kind of new interest. From the tiniest fact about the tiniest bug to the ever expanding knowledge of the universe above, he could never seem to know enough.

Especially about the stars. How he loved them; to just stare up into the big black night and try to count each and every one.

And when he would stay out late and doze off while counting, she would carefully lift him up and carry him to his bed; all the while singing:

Constant as the stars above,

Always know that you are loved,

And my love shining in you,

Will help you make your dreams come true.

And when the time came that she became sick; barely able to conquer the staircase in the morning, she would still join in his adventures. She would still watch him climb high up in the tall trees as he tried so very hard to touch the sky.

She wanted so badly for him to achieve his dreams; to one day touch the stars. So she made sure he knew how much she believed in him. She made sure he knew that as long as he worked hard and put his heart into all that he did, he would make it. She knew he could. She knew he would.

And when came the time that she was too weak to even lift her small child and hold him, she would still kneel at his bedside, running a loving hand through his hair, and sing to him one last time.

Constant as the stars above

Always know that you are loved.

And my love shining in you,

Will help you make your dreams come true.

The boy continued to grow and he kept his mother's words close to his heart. He worked hard; put his heart into everything he did, into every passion that would help him achieve his dream.

Never faltering, never stopping, he continued on; spurred by his mother's love and his longing to one day prove to himself that she was right: he could do anything he set his heart to.

And when the day came that he could finally touch the stars, he knew she was there with him. He gazed out upon the universe, starlight caught in his bright green eyes, the vastness of space before him.

He'd made it, just like she said he would.

And that night, as he lay down to sleep with the stars watching over him, he hummed to himself an old memory.

Constant as the stars above,

Always know that you are loved,

And my love shining in you,

Will help you make your dreams come true.

Not so long ago, there was a mother who believed her son could one day touch the stars.

And he did.