Where were you on July 20th, 1969?I was in the Muskokas area of Ontario. We were camping with our little girl and my younger sister, Karen. The water was crystal clear and the day was warm. We had a great boat ride and caught lots of fish.
That afternoon after a great weekend we packed up and headed back to Oakville sunburned and happy.
It was a long drive home down the old Highway #27… no super highways then.
Along the way we stopped in stores to buy soft drinks(now known as Pop) – anything to stay awake. On the Black and White TVs along the way they had live coverage of the men landing on the moon. I stopped in each service station or store along the way to get a look at what was happening. Each stop was that much closer to it actually happening.
All the way home I thought of the images that I had seen that night on TV. The world had changed – but I didn’t know it. It was just an amazing thing that had taken place – and we didn’t know much different then… just another day in a growing world.
Today they talked to Julie Payette, the most recent space astronaut from Canada. I listened to her voice as the wake up call came to get her out of bed – ready for another Space Walk.
My how my world has changed. How things have sped by and stuff happened that I have no idea about.
My grandkids are slowly getting out of bed now with little or no idea of the world around them. The fact that a man walked on the moon 40 years ago today – doesn’t really turn their crank. The fuzzy TV images that are now re-shown make little difference in their fast paced life.
Their world moves on.
Mine however has changed radically as I now realize that so much has happened in such a short time – my life time.
I am going to look up this day and think long and hard or what will happen to my great grandkids in their life time.
I wish I could be there to see their reaction when the next level of space is conquered.
“Do you really think that it will happen? Will the world last that long?” someone asked me.
Well we wondered in 1969 too… there was a war on somewhere and people were treating other people in really bad ways. Perhaps that is why they wanted to get to the moon.
Oh boy… what a thought. My great grandkids could conceivably stand on Mars!
Much later…
I think I better go cut up some more wood from the tree that came down. Great Grandpa needs to get back to work this AM.
Thinking about the future…. while you young ones ready your space craft. I wish I could be with you… but right now I am enjoying Paradise! See you soon!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/
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