My Secret Star

You may never catch a falling star but if you're lucky enough you can catch one flying by.

It was a cool summer night. I was laying on the ground looking up at the splendors of heaven above. I'm weird that way -looking up while standing up, is a pain in the neck. My stepson came by and asked "whatcha doing?"  "I'm looking for a star" The sky was filled with stars, so it was no surprise, he looked at me a little strange. He didn't have to say a word. I knew what he was thinking. "Should be easy enough to do" 

I explained that occasionally you can see one streak across the sky. "They call them falling stars" He looked up for a while, but his attention faded and was getting ready to leave. "You're going to miss it" I said. "Miss what?" he said. "That one special star" I said. "I know a secret" Suddenly, he was interested. "A secret? What kind of secret?"

 There was a pause. Then he joined me on the ground.  Our backs were resting on the cool evening grass. "Are you ready to learn the secret?" He answers with simple "yup" I continued my instruction. 

"Point at a star, any star. Got one?" He pointed his finger, picked a star and gave me a thumbs up at the same time. "That star is not the secret but a focal point that allows you to see the bigger picture. Keep your eyes on that star and if you stare long enough, everything around will turn black, that's when your special star will appear" I wondered how long it would take for a star to fly by. I knew I only had small window before he'd get bored. Suddenly, like magic, the secret revealed itself. He saw it streaking across the sky. "I see it, I see it" he yelled. I saw it too. 

We kept looking for stars, meteorites and passing satellites. What was the secret? With a little focus, a little patience and a little belief, you can make the sky light up.

 (These events did happen the conversations might not be exact, but we're created for your reading enjoyment)

My pics.

A full moon captured with my cell phone through a telescope with a couple touch ups.