A Better View . . .
We buried Dad twelve weeks ago this morning. Soon I'll be talking about how many months ago it was . . .
This morning as I watched the shuttle take off, I started remembering. Five-thirty would roll around pretty much every day at our house in Pasadena Texas. When we were younger, we would go stand on the street corner to watch Dad come home from work. There was always a parade - he was so conservative, he would take his foot off the gas a block away from our street, coasting home, and the traffic would stack up behind him - first in that '60 Mercedes, then that ghastly yellow Dodge van, and finally in his Fiat Spider. We watched Dad come home from his job at NASA. We knew he was doing something important - we just didn't know how important.
When I talked to Tracy this morning, she said "sadness laced with pride - what do I do with these feelings. Sadness and pride - that's exactly what I was feeling. Then she said that she told her children this morning, "My Daddy built that . . ." They didn't know. Back then, neither did we.
Something of my father is in space this morning. This is a picture of the project he worked the
longest on - an alternative i-beam type structure for the Space Station. I hope someday they choose to use it. It was better than what they were considering at the time. He knew his business, and he did help to build the shuttle. The morning that Challenger blew up, I was watching. So was Dad. I called him immediately, and asked him what went wrong. Hours before NASA said anything publically, Dad said, "I imagine it had something to do with the o-rings on the solid rocket boosters." He knew his business. In the guest book of his online obituary, his friends commented about his contribution to the space program. Words of pride for me.New tears - tears of sadness laced with pride. I watched again this morning - I suspect I always will.
And I suspect Dad had a better view this morning - of the whole thing.
posted by the sojourning pilgrim @ 9:24 AM
5 Comments:
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Good Job -- I like your pictures. Love the story.
Maybe one day soon we'll all get a better view. May God bless you and fill your heart with the joy of that reunion day.
Richard, I was just flabbergasted to see you had linked to my site. I am deeply honored to be in your company and among those you visit. I will return the favor so that we might continue to build our community of believers and foster a dialogue that changes all of our lives. God bless you.
Peace and all good things to you, sir.
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