One Small Step

It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years since the astronauts of Apollo 11 first stepped on the moon. At the time, I was 9 years old and living in Detroit. We had experienced --- a little too closely --- the Detroit Riots in 1967, and memories of the assassinations and conventions of '68 were still fresh. Neighbors and siblings of some friends were over in Vietnam. The space program brought something positive to the front...truly the Wonder Years.

I have some clear memories of that night. I recall watching the events unfold on tv--our black and white console--even though it was very late at night, at least for a 9 year old. For some reason, I have always pictured a full moon in my mind, but a visit to a perpetual calendar site today shows that it was a waxing moon, two days shy of being half-way to full. At some point, my dad and I (maybe it was my mom--that's a little sketchy) were out looking at the distant orb, and I was adamant that I could see the flag that had been planted using our telescope. (We used to do quite a bit of star-gazing with our telescope. Do kids today still do that?)

My sister ended up with a special bit of memorabilia from that night. My grandmother had woven each of us a blanket. My brother's had an eagle on it. Mine had an oriental-based bird and flower on it. My sister's was just a patchwork, with a few special squares. One of these was the square that my Granny was working on 40 years ago tonight. It has a silhouette of a moon and the date, July 20, 1969. A keepsake for sure, and ironic for many reasons that I won't divulge. Me, well I have a series of pictures that were in some Scholastic publication--I think they are in my cedar chest. Maybe I should dig them out.

It saddens me to think that there is a small part of society who do not believe that the lunar expeditions occurred. I have read several articles over the past few days debunking these conspiracy theories, and the photos of the lunar probe show physical proof for the believers. If nothing, this event served to bring together a fractured nation, at least for one evening. What will be the next giant leap for humankind?

Mid Year Review

It is hard to believe we're now several days into July! It's been a busy year thus far, and activity will be heating up soon as Craig starts his senior year and Matt continues his quest for a driver's license.

Earlier this year, I set forth some tasks I'd like to accomplish. It's a good time now to reflect on progress made. So here goes...

• Pray. Daily. So far so good.
• Set aside "me" time to recharge my batteries. This will include things like getting lost in a good book while soaking in a bubble bath, and doing girls' night out (or weekend retreats) on a regular basis. I am excelling at this one. lol. Off to spend 4 days relaxing and taking in a concert this week, as a matter of fact.
• Visit my parents more often. I could still probably do better with this one, but I AM doing better than last year.
• Do things with my sister more often. Hm. Still don't see her often, but more than last year.
• Catch up with my friends. I have done very well with this one, but not in the manner expected. Facebook has reinvigorated old friendships from high school, college, and former workplaces, and has cultivated a few new ones. This dovetails very nicely with my "me" time.
• Help those who need it--continue to volunteer for whatever beckons. This is just critical, and while I regularly volunteer, there is always room to do more.
• Help those who may not need it--random acts of kindness--doing the unexpected. This I have done.
• Organize my garage and basement store room, and maybe my closet and sock drawer. Well, I organized my closet, my sock drawer, and part of my attic. I also arranged to have junky parts of my yard cleaned up. The basement is beckoning....

I am thinking of new things that need to be accomplished...creating memories for my kids and their friends, giving back to the community, having fun, serving God...any suggestions?