"We are made of Star Stuff.” Carl Sagan was a brilliant astro-physicist, who inspires me. He was a professor of astronomy at Cornell, wrote several books such as “Broca’s Brain,” and had a television series “Cosmos.” He had many eloquent, insightful things to say about the universe, our solar system, our planet, and mankind. “We are a way for the universe to know itself.” 

He died in 1996, so how is he relevant today? For one thing, he inspired many people to become scientists who are now, among other things, exploring Mars, landing on asteroids and measuring the effects of climate change on Earth. Also, the Carl Sagan Institute was founded to find life in the universe, which helps us understand our own planet better. In addition, even non-scientists like myself have been inspired by his words, which we have internalized. We thirst for more knowledge about our world and its surroundings, and we aspire to be better citizens of the planet Earth, “to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known."

Cindy Cooksey is a lifelong artist and craftsman and has been making quilts since 1989. Her quilts have been shown in numerous venues internationally and in this country, including Quilt Expos in Lyon, Innsbruck and Barcelona, La Muse des Tissus in Lyon, France, and at Quilt Visions in 2002 at the Oceanside Museum of Art. Cindy’s quilts have also been shown at several International Quilt Festivals in Houston, Long Beach and Chicago, and the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. Her quilts have been published in Quilters Newsletter, Quilting Arts Magazine and Lark art quilt publications.