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I felt a sense of relief, delight, and awe, reading the obituary for English physicist Geoffrey Burbidge in the Sunday, February 07, 2010 New York Times, titled “Geoffrey Burbidge, 84, Dies; Traced Life to Stardust.” Burbidge’s findings, as explained by Allan Sandage, demonstrate that, “Every one of our chemical elements was once inside a star. The same star. You and I are brothers. We came from the same supernova.”

I suspected this was the case, every since hearing the lyrics to Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock: “We are stardust. Billion year old carbon.”

And, I sometimes get a glimpse of this fact in my day-to-day life. Like yesterday afternoon, while driving my 1995 Honda Accord from San Francisco to Sebastopol to visit an old friend who is in the process of dying. I was listening intently to NPR radio and was mesmerized by each story I heard: the turning back of integrated schools in Charlotte, North Carolina; the diaries of John Wilkes Boothe that were discovered after Lincoln’s assassination; and the community of monks and astrophysicists working together in Australia to uncover the mysteries of the universe. Each of these stories was touching and surprising, as I drove north along Highway 101, thinking of my dying friend.

And then, I walked into my friend’s bedroom. At first I thought I was too late. He was gaunt, motionless. Perhaps not alive. I sat down next to him, and noticed a subtle breathing. Then he began to mutter, to move, clearly confused, and dazed. I tried to comfort him, but it was as though he was in another world. Then he fell back to a motionless, sleeplike state. This pattern repeated itself for 15 or 20 minutes. Then, his eyes opened, he was clear and present, and he looked at me, and said, “Marc, I love you so much. What are we doing in this crazy, mixed-up world?” And then his eyes closed, and he was still, gently breathing. I wish I had an answer for him, and I was relieved when his eyes closed.

Now, after reading Geoffrey Burbidge’s obituary I would know what to say. We are all made of stardust. Really.

Read more: Inspiration, Spirituality, Death, Living News