Dreams of Flight

“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds...and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of...wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up, the long, delirious burning blue

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, nor even eagle flew.

And while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space...

...put out my hand, and touched the face of God.”

  I fell in love with the ideas of flight and space when I was a little girl. It caught my attention, held my imagination and dreams. The space shuttle program is coming to an end. The orbiters, the beautiful black and white birds, are taking their place in history. However, there is no new craft ready to take its place. Instead, we are entering a new time of unknowns. Where it will go and where it will lead I do not know. But, I do know that I plan on seeing the Discovery lift from earth on this flight. To watch the fuels mix and combust, putting forth thousands of pounds of pressure and create inertia, to boost the bird from her home. What will happen without these dream capturers, these pure science moments? Where will our newer technology come from, our new spin-offs of products that many never will realize nor care that they come from space. Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, and Endeavour – the names caught the hearts and imagination of some. The names still ring of bravery, intelligence, tragedy, and yet victory in the face of utterly devastating circumstances. I want to see the bird fly. I want to see the orbiter move away from the trellis which holds her and be powered into the sky. I want to feel the roar of the engines in my insides, as my heart and the vibration of that might sound mingle for a moment and my heart beat is part of the engine roar. Slip the surly bonds of earth, top the heights, and trod into space.


High Flight – by John Magee

Nursery Tales

You never quite know what kids are going to say in the nursery at church. This latest time in the church nursery was no exception. I found one of the little ones lining up pint sized chairs.

  “Are you making a train?”
  “No, I’m making a shuttle.”
  “Wow! That’s cool! Are you going to fly to space?”
  “Yes, I’m going to the moon. I want to see God.”
  “And God is on the moon?”
  “Yes, God lives in the moon.”
  “Oh, where else does God live?”
  “In my heart. But, I can’t stick my whole face in my heart to see God, so I’m going to the moon.”
Well, I can hardly argue with his logic, so we had a pretend shuttle ride to the moon. So we could see God.
Yes, the munchkins were cute in their pretend and play. But, their reasoning is not so different than what you or I might use. We try to contain God, not in the moon, but in our little boxes of familiarity and understanding. Then, we travel and traverse to God forgetting that he is already here, already with us. Thank heavens that we don’t have to go to the moon!

Inventor

I mentioned yesterday that I needed to find ways to encourage and inspire myself to attain long term goals and objectives. But, how? Rewards at the end are nice, but when you are mid-way they can be sadly lacking. This started my thinking on how this happens. When I have been successful in completing something, what have I done to keep myself focused and energized? I have to become an inventor of motivation.

If I were to put on my mad scientist outfit, metaphorically speaking, make my hair stand on end, and have rows of chemicals in test tubes in the background, perhaps I could mix a formula for inspiration and motivation. Starting with a collection of the liquid energy and put a few ounces into our test tube. Then, I’ll drop in a few granules of patience which probably turn the whole thing blue. Stir in a green glob of stick-to-it-ness. It will have to be stirred quite well or that will just stick to the wall of the test tube. Place under a Bunsen burner and heat slowly. Add in a combination of the ingredients of determination, will, encouragement, and one heaping teaspoon of accountability. Remove from the heat and check for clarity. Then, spread liberally over the matter at hand, applying liberally whenever dryness appears.
For me, this takes the view of little bits and pieces. A calendar page with Shakespeare quoted, a phone call with a friend, a saying on something small, watching butterflies fly and Queen Anne’s lace stretching the little blooms up and out, the puppy who chases the butterfly while the other watches in mild amusement, a well written letter, a surprise card, listen to little feet run through the house and giggles floating back towards you, clean laundry, a good salad that someone else makes, and a cool morning breeze. They can each be a moment of movement to help me progress in my task.

Winston

We have quite the menagerie of animals in the backyard. They aren’t pets per say, as in go up and pet them. But, they are little furry and feathered creatures with personality and distinct characteristics. Our newest animal arrival is a big black crow which has become known as Winston. His feathers are not shiny, they just seem to soak up light. He’s a big crow, who likes to land about five feet away from the other birds and squirrels and then eat any leftovers he might find. I love the way he struts around, as if he were kind of the birds. Then, every once in a while, Winston will discover a treasure! Perhaps an egg or over-ripe fruit, then amazingly enough he seems to stash the entire thing in his beak and fly off.

Welcome to the club Winston.