Lucky Stars

“Thank your lucky stars.”

That’s an expression I’ve heard a lot, and when I was growing up I think I really wanted to believe in lucky stars. I do remember wishing upon a star one summer evening, and my wish did come true, but as I grew older — and wiser, presumably — I stopped thinking much about stars at all.

On those rare occasions as an adult when I’ve been in the country at night, I’ve been amazed at the number of stars there are in the sky. I know, too, that the stars we see are only a small part of the vast, infinite universe.

I’ve never been to a planetarium, and that’s something my husband and I added to the “Grandkids” list. That’s a list of things to do and places to go that we put together in hopes of learning more about what our young grandchildren are interested in. Some of the items on the list — like growing food — got a resounding “No!”, but the planetarium trip sounded good to the two oldest boys.

The Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium in Kansas City — part of Science City — offers several different shows, and we’ve talked about going there. So far, we haven’t made time for it yet. Weekends are busy for young families, and it’s been impossible to coordinate between two sets of parents and our own busy schedule.

The proposed visit to the planetarium not only caught the interest of the grandsons, but also that of my husband. He was, in fact, the one who suggested adding it to our list, and for years he’s been talking about maybe buying a telescope for one of the boys.

The simple truth is that he wants a telescope for himself. It’s something he’s always wanted, but like so many other things, he’s never gotten around to actually buying one. Lately, though, he’s been doing his homework, researching telescopes, learning the differences between refractive and reflective, reading reviews of different models, and comparing prices.

It’s time, he has decided, to get that telescope he’s always wanted. So, this year, that’s going to be part of our Christmas gift to ourselves. We don’t really buy presents for each other. We buy presents together. This year I want a cruet set for the salad dressings I love to make. He wants a telescope.

It will be an exciting purchase, and I’m delighted he’s finally going to get something he’s wanted for a long, long time. And a trip to the planetarium is definitely in our future plans — the near future.