Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind. – Neil Armstrong

The past couple of weeks I have been reminiscing in my mind about the summer of 1969. Eight-year-old me was fascinated with the Apollo 11 journey to the moon. I watched the landing on our black and white television in awe that Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin were soon going to be landing on the moon! I remember thinking that it took 4-days to get to something I could easily see. It’s funny how looking back at that time, I see the beginnings of a child that was fascinated with science. I loved that the moon could look so close to us, but it was so very far away! It was also the start of my love of Star Trek…and that love continued for years. Apollo 11 went “where no man had gone before” and my life was certainly richer because they did.

I found this Moonwalk Montage video on the NASA website and watching it brought the same thrill today as it did when I was eight! (if you want to watch the restored, full-length version you will find it here!)


Some years later, I was in Washington D.C. and I saw the Space Window at the National Cathedral, it filled me with awe and wonder that I was seeing a piece of the moon those brave men had brought back.

In these days when travel to the simplest of places seems impossible, it is a very good thing to remember and celebrate this incredible journey.

Finally, it would be remiss of me to not mention the passing of John Lewis. He might have been a man of small stature, but he possessed the drive of the mightiest of men! Though he is no longer here to inspire us, he has given us our marching orders: “I want to see young people in America feel the spirit of the 1960s and find a way to get in the way. To find a way to get in trouble. Good trouble, necessary trouble.”  We must not let him down and find some good trouble! May you rest in power, dear sir.

Photo by Bruno Scramgnon from Pexels

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