When Daughter and SIL were recruiting Hubby and I to housesit for them this winter, the carrot they kept waving in front of us was “we have a hot tub you can enjoy.” Hubby and I have never been hot tub people so I can’t say it was a much of a lure. Hubby is not a water guy, rarely getting in water deeper than his ankles. I’d been in their hot tub in the summers and it’s nice and might feel good some chilly day. We relented to the request, not because of hot tub but because we’re such good parents.
Right after we got here, Hubby asked if I’d use the hot tub while we were here. Sure, I might, I told him. To please me, he drained it (it had sat for several months without use), cleaned it, and got it fired up. Somewhere in that elbow-grease process, he decided he wanted to try it.
Now I can’t keep him out of it. This man who normally doesn’t like water is loving the warm massage of the jets on cold nights. It’s cold getting in and getting out, but while you’re in there, it’s heaven. It’s a great place to talk without distractions and stargaze. It’s been years since we admired all the stars, and now it’s become the best part of being in the hot tub.
This past week was the Geminids meteor shower. On the peak night, we lay back and watched the sky. Even through all the light pollution, we were thrilled to see ten meteors streaking across the sky. We didn’t make wishes on them like Jiminy Cricket says you should because the gift was seeing them.
We’ve always been stargazers. When we were first married, we would stand outside to observe the constellations and the Milky Way, a hobby that continues these decades later. As a family, we’ve been to star parties to see the rings of Saturn, the red spot on Jupiter, the red sand of Mars, and the sun through special telescopes. We’ve seen the northern lights, comets, and meteor showers. The immense Creation is awesome (and I mean that with its true meaning) and very beautiful.
In the hot tub, we watch Orion rise in the east. He only comes that high in the sky in the winter. Finding the Big Dipper and Casseopeia helps us find the North Star. The Pleiades Star Cluster is easier to see when you don’t look directly at it (something about the rods and cones in our eyeballs). When we’re in a place where light pollution is minimal, we can see the white carpet of stars called the Milky Way stretching across the sky. What a beautiful sight! I realize just how small I am on this blue marble orbiting our sun. That perspective makes me love everyone on it with me. We’re all in this together.
Hot tub or not, we’ll keep looking up. There’s too much to see to miss it.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalms 19:1
He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. Job 26:7
