In addition to charting a “groundbreaking career as the first woman to pilot and command a space shuttle,” Astronaut Eileen Collins has also experienced the normal struggles of life on the earth. Who among us hasn’t found ourselves “…struggling to find a footing (for our faith)” or “…needing a place to hang something on…” or thought about being “…rooted in rich soil…”? Perhaps none of these exact thoughts passed through Astronaut Eileen Collins’ mind. But it is extremely reassuring to this writer that regardless of the fame and unique experiences Collins has had, after reflection within the privacy of her mind, she has opted to spend a good summer with her family.
Astronaut Collins said, “I don’t think of myself as being a woman and having anything to prove.” Yet by her very presence in the space agency this 49-year- old mother has doubtless provided a lesson for untold thousands or more young ladies that priorities can change. She has already lived 8 years longer than my mother who was taken from my life as a 15-year-old high school sophomore. Eileen Collins is looking forward to “sort of make up” for the time she has been gone from her family.
If you are one of the working moms, and fortunate to have a husband in a career that provides adequate income, perhaps you also can re-examine your priorities and make a change that will coincide with the deeper values of the family. Certainly every individual, whether a mother or father, has to personally make such decisions. Exactly what Eileen Collins will ultimately do – right now she wants to devote several months to her family. As a mother of a 10-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son I imagine those two children will join their father in welcoming this fine lady back with open arms to their home. Let’s hope Eileen grants an audience to MSNBC for an update after she has been home for several months.
Somehow I think it is a purposeful design that we have limited vision – peripheral at the most. Come to think of it I don’t think any of God’s human creations has an apparatus at the end of a multi-directional arm that can be aimed back and totally look at ourselves. The ingeniousness of man took care of inventing the mirror. Like most eyes of God’s creations, human eyes look out and around — even without moving our head. Our minds are our eyes that “look within” to consider our situations and circumstances. Looking around at our achievements and acquisitions might give us satisfaction and gratification but being able to look within ought to bring sufficient reminders of the “things that matter most” for which we ought to be grateful.
“Best wishes Eileen Collins!”
The Wordwright
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