An Ordinary Miracle

Space Shuttle Launch....Sunday March 15

This photo was taken from the balcony in the back of my house about 30 seconds after Lift-Off.

I live 2 1/2 Hours south of Cape Canaveral and the view is spectacular.

As soon as the flame cleared the trees, we had a perfect view of the flame headed into space.

For some, the launch of Space Shuttles, Rockets, Satellites, etc. may seem to be an ordinary occurrence, even something to be taken for granted. For me...every launch is nothing short of a miracle.

I can remember the days when everyone in town stopped, even schools were dismissed when the Apollo Rockets and first Space Shuttles were launched. EVERYONE stopped to watch, EVERY Television Show was interrupted so that live coverage of Lift-Off and Landings could be viewed. Now...it is difficult to find much TV Coverage as the Shuttle engines are firing up on the Launch Pad. Many of the Shuttle Launches don't make the headlines on the evening news or front pages of Newspapers. The safe landings are rarely covered...

This always gets me thinking...

What OTHER ordinary miracles do I, and others, take for granted? Whom and What is around me every day that I have just come to accept as a fact of life?

I remember the day The Space Shuttle Challenger blew up. January 26, 1986. It was one of the coldest days in Florida. The sky was perfectly blue, not one cloud. I was busy with a project...sewing a maternity dress....Andrew was on the way. In the background, I had the TV on, not paying much attention to the pre-Shuttle Launch commentating. However, at the one minute countdown, I stopped what I was doing and gathered Curt and Jeffrey to the TV to watch the Launch. Thirty seconds after the launch, we knew to go outside in our front yard and look NORTH to see the Shuttle flame and smoke trail.

That day, we saw the Challenger blow up on the TV Screen and ran outside to see the smoke trails and fire in the sky first hand.

All day, because the sky was so clear and still, those smoke streams stayed in place. Those streams of smoke set against the perfectly clear blue sky served as a reminder and a wake up call to me....

Sometimes people don't come and go as planned. Many times, seemingly every day occurances are brought about by a series of miracles I may never be aware of. At times I fail to see the miracles in the routines of every day life.

Life is short....

What and Whom am I taking for granted. What miracles am I oblivious to?

Have I settled in to such a level of comfort and expectation that I don't stop to THANK and MARVEL at the amazing life around me.

Today, I say...life is good...oh so good. I am surrounded by incredible people and I love being alive at this time in history. I even love living in Florida (which I could not always say)

The Lord is in charge and I acknowledge his hand in my life at every turn, life is FULL of ordinary miracles. I am alive because of ordinary miracles.

Ordinary Miracles...That is an oxymoron.

There is nothing Ordinary about a Miracle.