Cathy's Creative Corner: Press On to 2022
As I make plans for my family’s upcoming New Year’s Eve gathering, I can’t help but look back over my life and remember all the events I’ve been through. Sometimes when talking to my grands, I feel like a walking, talking reference book. It’s amazing how many things happen in your lifetime.
Each new year brings new events. My earliest recollection of a history-making moment happened November 22, 1963. I was a first grader. We went to school as usual that day, but shortly after lunch, we were informed we’d be going home early. Our parents and buses were en route to get us. I remember being lined up in the hallway waiting for my name to be called. No one told us what happened but most of the teachers were smiling as they wiped away tears. At home, our father told us the president, John F. Kennedy, had been assassinated. Of course, I didn’t grasp the seriousness of a presidential assassination but I did get the feeling this man was well-known and liked by many. It would only be five years later when the villainous act of assassination came into play again. In April of 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King was killed, followed in June by the death of Senator Robert Kennedy. No mother should have to witness the deaths of two sons because they have different opinions from others. Accordingly, no family should lose its father because he wants to improve life for ALL Americans.
The next summer at the age of 12, men landed on the moon! They, not only landed, but walked on it, took core samples and planted our country’s flag. Surprisingly, without a hitch. The moon didn’t explode, its surface didn’t burn their feet and they didn’t encounter aliens. Everything went according to plan. Fast forward almost 20 years later to the 25th space mission. Space Shuttle Challenger was launched January 28, 1986. Nothing went according to plan. There were numerous delays before liftoff, and only 73 seconds into flight, the shuttle exploded. It was televised live. To my horror, I was in the breakroom with other coworkers watching. We almost had to convince ourselves of what we had seen. Unfortunately, due to media coverage, this would not be the only tragedy witnessed by millions nowhere near the occurrence.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, as I listened to my regular radio station at work, it switched over to its sister station in New York. A plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers making it a newsworthy event. Right after I informed the other girls in the office, the second plane hit. Putting all jokes aside, everyone ran to their computers to pull up national media coverage. This was the most tragic day for innocent lives lost in American history.
An event near and dear to my heart took place January 20, 2009. It was the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama! President Obama is the first and only African American to ever hold that position. He did it with grace and eventually won over a lot of people who doubted him. So much so, he was elected for a second term.
Unfortunately, there are also events that occur where man has little to no control. For example, earthquakes, tsunamis, pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic reared its ugly head in Washington state January 2020. Since then, it has affected over 50 million people and caused roughly 800,000 deaths in the US alone. Praise be to GOD who gives our medical community the expertise to get this under control.
No matter what happens in the upcoming year, all you can do is take it in stride and press on. When you get past the hurdles, there’s a wide-open track for you to enjoy.
