There! Three distinct stars shining in their timeless row. The identical ones I had been seeing since I was a child. Having forgotten the names of most constellations as well as their individual stars, I can still pick out Orion’s Belt without hesitation wherever I am.
Rula was the one who had taught me about constellations. Orion was her absolute favorite: The Hunter with his Bow and Dogs. Late at night, I used to sit bundled up in the highlands beside her, peering into the universe through telescopes. What I loved most were the fantastic names every object had.
Quasars!
Dwarf Stars!
Nebulae!
Rula could enunciate each name accurately, explaining the meanings and history of a particular star, constellation or other heavenly body. I admired the beauty of the knowledge she possessed. She once said the immenseness of the cosmos was God’s way of reminding us of our true place in creation. She believed that the night sky was to give us perspective whenever our earthly cares overwhelmed us. She was right. Some of us take this merry-go-round called life too seriously. Others treat it much too lightly. All of us are guilty at one time or another of not maintaining a proper perspective and have to live with the consequences of that failure.
Bellatrix.
Betelgeuse.
Rigel.
Stars found only in Orion.
I remember Rula each time I see Orion in the night sky and can’t help thinking of what might have been.
photo from unsplash.com by Sam Goodgame
