She hates surprises, so we surprised her. Happy Birthday! Her face was priceless.

John gave her a polished quartz crystal from a comet's core. Virgil carved her a phoenix from sandstone a million years old. Gordon gave her a piece of sustainable coral in its own biosphere. Alan gave her a vial of volcanic dust from Io. And I gave her something much more humble, but just as precious.

My lucky pebble from Kansas. Born from the earth, blessed by the sky, that pebble has been with me everywhere.

It's time to share that luck with someone special.