DIAGRAM: SKY & TELESCOPE
At 10:30pm, having closed our register, covered the display cases, and deposited our cash envelopes, three of us walked out of the store into fresh air. A brilliant spot of light hung on the night’s black sky, looking not unlike the large cubic zirconium stone in a necklace I sold to a young bride-to-be a few hours earlier. One woman waved goodbye and headed for her car. Diana and I stood for a moment, mesmerized by the sight.
“It’s Venus,” I said in hushed tones reserved for moments of overwhelming glory.
“Venus? Really? See you tomorrow.”
I stood a moment longer letting cool air wash over me and absorbing the planet’s grace. I whispered a prayer of appreciation, taking off my shoes as it were, since I was obviously on holy ground that happened to look like a sprawling mall parking lot.
A few weeks earlier I had pointed out the planet to my hostess as we returned to her home after a speaking engagement.
“Venus? Are you sure? How do you know?”
“Venus is in the western sky now, outshining everything else,” I offered. I am not sure she was convinced, but it is unmistakable.
“On nights like this,” a friend said years ago as he stood on a country road and gazed at the star splattered dome above us, “I could live on the sky.”
Yes. On nights like this one, with Venus hinting at wonders beyond my sight, my soul needs no church. My spirit needs no other nourishment. Gloria in excelsis Deo!
© 2010 Mary van Balen
PHOTO: Moon, Venus, Jupiter over the Collegeville Institute. Mary van Balen
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