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Every day  of the year there are events taking place that are going to change the lives of individuals, of families, of nations….of the world.Some of these events will be noticed by a single individual or a single family or perhaps a single community. But, other events will affect the lives of nations or even the world. They may end up in history books because they have changed the course of history.

Unless you were born only yesterday, you have probably experienced such an event. If you haven’t…..you soon will. It will be an incident or a development from which other events in your life will be measured. If not this, at least it will be one of those “Where were you when……?” type of event. You may not recognize these incidents immediately. It may be months, if not years, before you will….or can….recognize how important they are….and what a profound effect they had on your life. In one’s personal life, these events may be very happy and positive kinds of experiences…such as a marriage, the birth of a child, or….in very happy circumstances….winning the lottery. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, they could be very sad events: a death, loss of a job, a devastating accident…..

It seems that on the national level or the international level, many of these milestone are serious and often negative events….although this not always true, fortunately.

In my own personal life, we can rule out marriages….or divorces. And, insofar as I am aware, we can also rule out any children. (Now that definitely would be a life-changing circumstance for me.)

The life-changing milestones in my life can be divided into some personal landmarks….and also historical landmarks. And, since this is my story….let me tell you about four of them. In this blog, I will talk about the historical landmarks.

There are many people who are convinced that my list of important life references begins either when I accompanied Moses in parting the Red Sea…..or when I was with Noah in the Ark. But…sorry, I can’t lay claim to either of those events…as important as they were.

 

 

Without a doubt, the earliest landmark which took place in my early life was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese…..and our subsequent entrance into World War II. Yes…..it took place….but I was a little too young to remember it. I was only three years old at the time that happened. The War ended in 1945, and that is my first recollection of a landmark event in my life. And…..I have to admit, those are only fuzzy, blurred recollections.

I have definite…..but again vague and indistinct….memories of my parents and my aunt and uncle…..my dad’s brother and his wife….sitting in our front room listening to the radio. Even at my young age, I knew by the serious expressions on their faces, that whatever they were listening to was heavy stuff. There was no laughing or joking. In fact, I recall very little conversation….and whatever conversation they engaged were in was somber. I was too young to ask what they were talking about, and I don’t remember them ever explaining to us kids what was happening. It is entirely possible….even probable….they did….but I don’t remember it.

I knew we were going through some tense times. There were “blackout” nights, when ALL lights had to be tuned out….or windows thoroughly covered to block any and all light. No longer do I recall how long these “drills” lasted….but I do remember sitting in complete darkness for a period of time….probably wondering why all this was happening. I vaguely remember that on other occasions, Mother covered our windows with heavy blankets…..while we sat with only a kerosene lantern as light.

Even as a kid, I knew this was not fun and games….that something grim and somber was taking place. I also remember rationing….rationing of food, of gasoline, of rubber. Each family was issued monthly “rationing” books….with little coupons which were required in order to purchase certain items. When the allotment of coupons was used up…..then we were unable to buy any more of that product until the next allotment booklet was issued. I still have some old allotment booklets with a few unused coupons in each of them.

In those war time days, we saved all of our “tin cans” and took them to a central collection point. These cans were lined with tin….I suppose. At any rate, they were melted down to recover the precious metal that would be used in the manufacture of war machinery. American families were also encouraged to plant “victory gardens”….to grow as much of our own food as possible, so that the bulk of commercially grown food could be used in to feed our soldiers fighting in Europe and Asia. Of course, we were already growing a garden…..a big garden. And, this was probably used as a motivating factor to make working in our garden less of a burden.

There were many other measures taken….things that I was probably unaware of at the time…..to ensure that there would be adequate resources to carry on the war effort. But, the restrictions and strictures applied to everybody…..so, to be sure, everybody was involved in supporting our campaign against the Nazis and the Axis powers.

Living in a rural area, my life was a rather simple, uncomplicated life. When we were not working in our garden….”victory garden”…. or doing other chores around the farm, we were undoubtedly playing with kids from neighboring properties. Along with the inevitable cowboys and Indians….more specifically Roy Rogers and Dale Evans or Gene Autry…..or baseball….or touch football…..or hide and seek……We were playing “War”….with the “Japs” and the “Krauts” being the bad guys. Of course, we older kids always ended up playing the good guys….while the younger kids were relegated to playing the bad guys. And, of course, the good guys….the Americans….always won.

That brings me to the first landmark event in my life that I actually remember….at least, sort of: The end of World War II….May 8, 1945…..more specifically the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany. After the official announcement was made over the radio, almost everybody took to the streets….or even the country roads….to celebrate. I can remember that my parents and our neighbors were all outside…..talking and laughing.

Even though we lived just outside of town, we were still able to hear the city siren which was sounded every day at noon…..and when there was a fire. And, we could hear the deep, coal-fired whistles of both the salt mines which blew to announce the beginning and end of the work day. These whistles…..both the siren and those of the salt plants…..not only blew once, but they sounded over and over and over. I do not recall how long we could actually here them….but it was certainly long enough for anybody to know that a celebration was taking place…..and that something indeed momentous had happened.

Parades and celebrations were held everywhere…..in every village and every large city. And, Lyons was no exception. A day or two after the end of the war, we went to watch one of the most joyous parades I had seen up to that time (I was only seven years old!)…..maybe even since then. It was a typical small town event. Every fire truck, every police car, tractors, horses, bicycles, tricycles…..the high school band….already discharged veterans…..pets…..and almost everybody and anything that wanted to participate joined in the festivities….all decked out in red, white and blue…..to a background of honking automobile horns, police and fire truck sirens, patriotic music, fireworks and the general raucous merriment of the crowd. Even as a seven year old boy, I was caught up in the excitement and filled with pride and excitement.

For succeeding decades, all time and events were referred to as happening “Before the War”….or “After the War”.

 

 

The next truly landmark event which has taken place in my lifetime was the assassination of President John K. Kennedy…J.F.K.

As the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower was coming to an end, the campaigns to choose the candidates to be the next President of the USA in 1960 had started in earnest. Richard Nixon was no doubt the obvious choice of the Republican Party, since he had served as Vice President for both terms under Eisenhower. Even though as far back as then, he had already displayed questionable ethical and character weaknesses. Nobody seriously contested his nomination, and he was ultimately selected to be the Republican nominee for President.

The Democratic Party had been out of power for a long eight years, largely because there was really nobody to nominate who could come close to defeating the hugely popular Eisenhower. Even though his administration was largely a hands-off, do-nothing government with few accomplishments to boast about, Eisenhower’s success in the recent victory defeating the Nazis in World War II and his stint as Commander of the NATO forces had consolidated his niche in the annals of history. And….not to mention the famous, but largely deceptive and forged “Eisenhower smile”. Having no political affiliation prior to becoming a civilian after his military career, both the Republican and Democratic parties strongly courted his favor. Ultimately, he declared himself to be a Republican….which was probably an appropriate choice for him, given his style of governing.

Adlai Stevenson, a Democratic liberal, a former governor of Illinois, was chosen by the Democratic Party to run against Eisenhower not only in 1952, but also in 1956. He was convincingly defeated both times.

He would have dearly loved to have run again in 1960….but it was not to be. The Democratic Party chose John F. Kennedy as its nominee to oppose Richard Nixon.

John Kennedy had a lot going for him. He was a pseudo war hero, his exploits having been glamorized in a ghost-written autobiography….and another heavily “edited” senior thesis from Harvard University…..where he was at best a mediocre student. He was handsome; he had a winning, outgoing personality. His older brother, Joe, was slated by his family to be the “family politician”. But Joe was killed in the War…..and thus the mantle was passed to John Kennedy.

John Kennedy possessed all of the previous qualities….but most of all he had money…lots of money. Not his money…..but the money of his ultra-rich father. And, he had organization. His large family of brothers and sisters, along with an assortment of his ambitious college and navy friends, rallied to form a support organization that made his name and face a familiar household presence.

The margin of victory in the election was razor thin….one of the closest of any presidential election….around 100,000 votes out of a total of sixty-eight and a half million votes cast…..one tenth of one percent. Kennedy did not win by a landslide vote as some popular Kennedy “mystique” would have people believe. There were questions of serious voter fraud….especially in Illinois, where it was alleged that his father has bought votes.

In one of his rare displays of statesmanship, Richard Nixon chose not to contest the election and conceded defeat…..and the triumph of John Kennedy.

This was the first election in which I was old enough to vote….and the only presidential election in which I voted for the Republican candidate….probably as a result of the lingering influence of my parents. Looking back….and knowing what I know about both men now…..I would probably have voted for a third party candidate….who matter who they represented.

The “thousand days” that Kennedy was president was characterized largely by glamor and “style” rather than substance. But, that is a story for another day.

I was teaching school in a two room school when Kennedy was elected…..my first teaching job. After moving to another school the following year and teaching there for a year and a half, I joined the Army…..under the inevitable consequence of being drafted if I didn’t.

After completing four months of basic training and advanced training as an administrative specialist, I was assigned to the office of the Commander of Troops at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, as his administrative assistant….or secretary.

It was a great job…..after overcoming my initial “breaking-in” period, when I struggled to learn my job…..and more important, in which I waited for my boss to gain confidence in me and to trust me. It was a happy place to work. I looked forward to going to work each morning…..although all I had to do was walk down a flight of stairs to my office. The sergeant-major, who was my immediate supervisor, spent a great deal of his day trying to get me interested in dating his daughter. It wasn’t that I was particularly opposed to it; it was just that I didn’t have any means of transportation….except the bus that went from the army base into Indianapolis.

My best friend was a guy who lived in the room adjoining mine. He worked in the logistics….or what normal people would call the supply….division. We hung out a lot together….mostly playing pool in our private pool room in the basement of our building; target shooting on the sound-proof top floor; working out in the base gym; running….. He also had a car…..but we did not use it often.

He had a wicked sense of humor….always a joke or something funny to say about almost everything. He also liked to tease…. He was known throughout our little kingdom as the resident clown. He got by with it, too….largely because he was also a hard worker and always did his job above and beyond what was asked.

It was a Friday…..a cold day in late November…..Friday, November 22, 1963, to be exact. We were all in our office that morning, doing our job. As usual, I was answering the telephone, greeting visitors, writing letters, looking up Army Regulations about various matters for my boss, the Commander. The other people where doing their jobs….whatever that happened to be. It was getting to be late in the morning….actually approaching lunch time. There was sort of a lull in the activity, as we were sort of winding down our busy morning…..just sitting around, engaging in light-hearted small talk waiting for the first lunch period to arrive.

My friend, who worked in another part of the block-long headquarters building, stuck his head in our office and said….I thought with a half-grin on his face…..”President Kennedy was just shot.” There was a rather stunned silence. I didn’t know if he was joking….or if he was serious. I knew he was no big admirer of Kennedy…but, on the other hand, it was not something one joked about….especially on an army base.

My boss, the Commander, heard him from his private office…..and immediately came bounding out of his office. “Are you telling the truth?” he demanded.

“Yes,” answered by friend. “We heard it on the radio just a couple minutes ago.”

My boss, who was a devout Roman Catholic, grabbed his overcoat and announced that he was going to the base chapel.

By that time, the gravity and the reality of the situation was sinking into our brains very quickly. Whatever light-hearted banter was taking place just a few minutes earlier had vanished….and was replaced by a dark, somber atmosphere. We quickly turned on our own radio….which for some unknown and uncharacteristic reason had been sitting silently the entire morning.

The telephone began ringing almost immediately. Of course, at that time, we had no more information than the caller did. My boss returned to the office….maybe thirty or forty minutes later, and immediately left to consult with the Base Commander, his superior.

In the meantime, orders came down from the Base Commander that all operations and activity were to cease immediately. Only a skeleton staff was to remain on duty to answer calls and to conduct….or defer….business. A Second Lieutenant was designated to stay in our office. The rest of us were free to leave.

The only ceremony that was held to commemorate the President’s death was a formation of all available troops on the parade ground the following morning. The following morning was a Saturday. It was frigid cold. There was a brief, pre-planned, according to the regulations ceremony…..lasting no more than ten minutes, as I recall. And, then we were dismissed. The next two days were weekend days….during which most troops already are not on duty. The funeral was held on Monday, also a day which all activities and work were canceled.

For the next three days….Saturday, Sunday and Monday…..there was very little to do. Almost everything was closed. It seemed as if the usually busy city of Indianapolis was semi-deserted. The mood was somber and restrained. And, of course, at Fort Benjamin Harrison, everything was also closed…..almost literally. Meals were still being served in the dining halls and church services were conducted as usual on Sunday. But any form of recreational facility was locked. And, to make it worse, my friend, the guy whose room was next door to mine, had gone home. His parents lived within easy driving distance of the army base.

I was more or less left alone….literally. Of course, the soldiers were still there….also with nothing to do. But…..they had each other. I didn’t know any of these soldiers who were stationed there only temporarily for training purposes. As permanent staff, we never associated with them. I had nobody. Except for my friend, everybody else in our office lived off-base….and, of course, that is where they stayed.

But, at least, I had a TV set in my room….something the “student” soldiers did not have.  I had bought the TV set….a black and white TV, of course….a few months earlier and set it up in my room….with the usual “rabbit ears” antenna. I had fashioned a sort of aluminum foil “flag” on each strand of the two-strand antenna to boost reception. With it, I could fairly satisfactorily receive each of the four VHF….very high frequency….channels; those channels from 2 through 13. With nothing else to do….except go down to our pool room…by myself….or go for a short run….I sat and watched TV almost around the clock. When I turned on the TV, I had no other choice. All commercial programming has been suspended…..including the commercials. The time was devoted exclusively to covering the events surrounding the assassination. Looking back it was reminiscent of watching one of the twenty-four news channels today….but without the commercials. A lot of it was repetition; a lot of it was purely conjecture and speculation. But, it did make for fascinating TV watching…..to see history unfolding before my eyes.

Sunday morning was no different than Saturday. The TV was turned on, and I was sitting with my eyes glued to the TV set. A suspect, Lee Harvey Oswald, had been arrested earlier in a Dallas theater as the main suspect in the murder. Late in the morning….around 11:20 A.M….police authorities were in the process of transferring Lee Harvey Oswald to another prison facility through an underground garage in the Dallas jail. He was being led to a police car by several policemen…with the characteristic smirk on his face…..when all of a sudden gun shots rang out. It was alarming; it was totally unexpected. Lee Harvey Oswald was holding his side and falling to the floor.

This was 1962, remember, and for some reason the basement of the jail was jammed with news reporters….and dozens of other people. Who knows who they were? Curious on lookers of some type. A situation of this sort is almost unbelievable in our day and age, but apparently it was acceptable at that time. Anyway, there was pandemonium as police and other by standers wrestled the gun from the man who had fired the shots…..and fired them at almost point-blank range.

If I was watching with only a casual interest before…..now I was totally alert! The man who shot JFK had just been shot…..on live TV. At that time, nobody knew the man’s name….why he did it….where he came from…. They didn’t know anything….only that Lee Harvey Oswald had been killed. The man who shot John Kennedy was dead. It would be later when the details about Jack Ruby, the owner of a Dallas strip club, began to reveal themselves.

All of this happened so suddenly and without warning. But, the reality began to sink into my brain: I had just witnessed important history being made.

Monday was the day of the funeral. Now everything was really closed! Again, there was nothing to do except to sit and watch the entire funeral proceedings…..and all of the accompanying hype. To me….from the very beginning….it appeared to be a highly staged spectacle…..staged to highlight and bring attention to its dominant leading character….Jackie Kennedy. That probably sounds cynical…..but to me there was a definite absence of sincerity….and an over-abundance of publicity seeking. But…that is only my opinion. Even with all the obvious “Jackie touches”, it was a moving and dignified final salute to the slain President of the United Sates of America.

 

 

The third defining event that took place in my lifetime was an event that had it origins back in autumn of 1957. It was on October 4 of that year that the USSR launched the first artificial Earth satellite…..Sputnik I.

The satellite was visible all around the earth, and since its orbit could be predicted, millions of people, including myself, flocked outside at night to watch as it streaked through the sky. It stayed in orbit for several weeks…..and soon the novelty of looking for it wore off.

Wow….surely the USA must have been expecting this to happen….but maybe not so soon. I was a freshman in college that year…..and I know I was rather stunned, even though I probably didn’t understand all the ramifications of what has just happened.

My college professors were also surprised. There was a feeling of gloom…and alarm….that pervaded the atmosphere. This was in the midst of the Cold War. Of course, no shots were being fired…..no bombs were being dropped. But, a real threat of both of these possibilities was always on our collective minds…..the minds of the people and certainly on the mind of the government. With this event, the common perception was that now the USSR had….or soon would have….the capability of launching missiles or even atomic warheads at the mainland USA.

As for our government……well, let’s just say we were not accustomed to coming in second…..in anything…….and especially second to the Russians, whose store shelves were bare…..and even their toilets wouldn’t flush.   An intensive effort was launched in order to catch up with the Russians. But….that was not the end of it. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union pulled off another “first”: They successfully rocketed the first man into space. Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet astronaut, was the first man to travel into space and the first man to orbit the earth. This was a major assault on the pride and prestige of the USA…..not to mention evidence that we lagging seriously behind in the “space race”.

The Kennedy Administration initiated an all-out effort to catch up with the USSR…..and to take the lead. And, of course, this was done with the type of face-saving public relations dazzle that the Kennedys were noted for. Physical fitness councils were formed and an emphasis was placed on accentuating physical education programs in schools, NASA was formed, and great importance was placed on establishing or strengthening mathematics and science programs in colleges and universities…..and also in the public schools.

If I had been a math or science major…..or even a PE major……I could probably have gotten a rather substantial scholarship to a good university. But….alas…..with my meager aptitude for those two subjects, there wasn’t much chance of that happening. So…..with a scholarship from Dillons…..I plodded my four years through Sterling College to become a teacher.

BUT….all of the this was merely an introduction to the main event…..a prelude to the symphony….an occasion that would become one of my life markers. On Saturday, July 16, 1969, the United States of America launched a spacecraft…named the Columbia…. into the vast reaches of the cosmos toward the moon. The three American astronauts in the lunar spacecraft were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

Of course, the approximate time of the lunar landing was closely tracked and was widely reported on the three major TV networks. In fact, in the final hours, all three networks devoted their air time exclusively to covering the impending landing.

I had moved to Valley Falls only a couple months earlier. I had found a place to live: one room in a house only a block from the school. Although my “apartment” consisted of only one room, the elderly lady who owned the house assured me that is was perfectly OK to spend most of my time in the living room…..and I had full access to the TV, whenever she wasn’t watching it. She even had a large “lap board” that I put across my recliner which I used to grade papers while I was watching TV. She spent some time sitting in the living room at night watching TV with me. But, generally speaking, she was in her room at the back of the house…..or she was entertaining as assortment of her equally elderly friends playing a card game around the dining room table. In any case, if I kept the volume low….and I always did…..I did not disturb her….and everything worked out well.

Although school had not started yet, I had enrolled in a Masters Degree program at the University of Kansas, and I was commuting there five days a week with two of my future colleagues: the high school principal and the P.E. teacher. Without exception, as soon as classes had ended on Friday, and soon as I could get back home to pick up my suitcase, I would jump into my red Volkswagen Beetle and head off to Mother’s house in Sterling. I would spend Friday night and Saturday night in Sterling, and then after church on Sunday, I would eat lunch at Mother’s house and then head back to Valley Falls.

On this particular Sunday, July 20th, I lingered around for a while watching the coverage of the imminent lunar landing. Back in those days, there were always a lot of “ifs” concerning the exact time. I had to decide: should I simply stay at Mother’s house until the landing was complete….even though it might be much later than predicted? Or should I go ahead and leave…..and hope that maybe I could be back at my apartment before the lunar module landed.

I was in the middle of my first summer studying to obtain a Masters Degree. I had class the next day….and I had studying to do. I made the only logical decision that could have rationally been made: I started back to Valley Falls. Valley Falls is about a three and a half hour drive from Sterling. But….who knows? Maybe there would be a problem, and the lunar landing would be delayed. I mean…..I certainly was not hoping for any problems. But, like I said, there was a little bit of a question about the exact time. Maybe I would be back to my apartment in time to watch it on TV.

As soon as I got into my car, I turned on the radio to WIBW in Topeka. Even listening to the verbal descriptions was exciting. Of course, a lot of the coverage is much like it is on TV today……just peripheral and marginal chatter when there was no hard news to report. And….still like today…..a lot of repetition.

As events began to come together and predictions of the lunar landing became more definite, the intensity of the coverage increased. It was apparent that even though the scientists who were manning the flight center…..and those people who were in charge of the mission…..tried to remain calm and cool and professional, there was definitely an undercurrent of nervousness, excitement, anxiety and anticipation in their voices.

The historic moment had arrived: ten…..nine….eight…. Three….two…..one. “The Eagle has landed!” It was 3:17 P.M., Sunday afternoon, July 20, 1969. The first men had landed on the moon. The USA had landed on the moon.

Even on radio, it was not difficult to hear the collective sigh of relief that was being breathed in the control room…..the sense of satisfaction, of joy, of excitement….of the many dedicated scientists who had worked so long to bring about this historic event. A man on the moon had previously been science fiction fantasy…….but now….in this moment….it was a reality. I hadn’t seen it…..but I had heard it…..and I had seen it in my mind.

I was listening to the CBS Radio Network. They asked everybody traveling on a highway and listening to the coverage on the radio to turn on their headlights. Almost instantaneously the headlights of almost every car driving on I-70 flashed on. The sight was enough to make a shiver of pride run up and down my spinal cord…..if not bring actual tears to my eyes.

When I arrived back at my apartment, even my lady was excited. She had watched events unfold on TV with some of her friends….and normally she was not one to sit around and watch the news when there was a good soap opera or a situation comedy to watch…..or the chance to play one of her beloved card games.

Coverage of the event continued throughout the evening…..again, mostly repetition, commentary, speculation…..and just plain babbling by people who apparently had the desire to appear wise or to be considered as part of the “in crowd”. Late in the evening, when it became apparent that the first “man on the moon” was a very real possibility, the coverage became more urgent…..with the same undercurrent of excitement, anticipation…..and the same degree of tension that had preceded the actual landing.

The pictures being transmitted back to earth were sometimes blurred and grainy…..but all eyes were focused on the spacecraft, anxiously awaiting the appearance of the first man to ever set foot on the moon’s surface.

At 10:56 P.M. (Kansas time), history was made. Neil Armstrong firmly planted his foot on the surface of the moon. As he did so, he declared, “This is one small step for man….one giant leap for mankind.”

Mission accomplished. The United States of America had convincingly won the “space race”. History was made. And….I had been a witness.

 

 

The fourth….and latest….landmark event in my lifetime is a sad event which is still so fresh in the minds of most adult people that it really needs no explanation or background. It is an event has affected….and probably will forever affect…..the lives of not only the citizens of the USA…..but of the entire world.

Here is a brief time line of the horrific events:

7:46 CST: North Tower of World Trade Center attacked
8:03 CST: South Tower of World Trade Center attacked
9:37 CST: Pentagon attacked
10:03 CST: Hijacked airplane crashed in a field near Shanksville, PA

A total of 2,996 people lost their lives. There was a total of approximately Ten Billion Dollars damage to property and infrastructure.

On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I was attending a professional development meeting at the headquarters of the Northeast Kansas Educational Service Center in Lecompton along with our Superintendent of Schools. The meeting had barely begun when one of the secretaries came into the room where we were meeting and said that an airplane had crashed into a building in New York City. At the time, we assumed that it was a private airplane, and it appeared to be a tragic accident.

Soon after, she returned and said that another airplane had crashed into another building…..and that it appeared that it was not an accident…..but some sort of attack. The mood was somber as the meeting got underway. And very soon it became apparent that the USA was under some sort of attack. Several of the school administrators left the meeting to return to their schools. Although the meeting continued, it was apparent that the minds of those of us still there were not focused on the meeting…..but on what was happening in New York City.

At our lunch hour, instead of eating the lunch being served at the meeting site, I drove back to my house, turned on the TV…..and saw for the first time the devastating events which had taken place. It was shocking; it was appalling; it was horrifying….and it was frightening.

Even so, the meeting continued to its conclusion in the afternoon. After the meeting was over, I had to drive into Topeka to do some sort of errand. I was shocked….and somewhat shaken…..to see long lines of cars backed up at service stations, apparently waiting to fill up with gasoline.

Did these people know something I did not know? Had something happened during the afternoon that I hadn’t heard about? I was definitely on edge as I continued on into Topeka. I was even more amazed and disquieted when I saw that at some service stations the price of gasoline had been jacked up to more than double its normal price! (These service stations were later investigated, castigated….and fined for price gouging.)

I concluded my errand in record time and returned home where I spent the remainder of the evening watching TV coverage of the day’s disaster…..including an address by President George Bush. Even more moving was an address by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, offering support and condolences to the people of the USA.

Looking back, there have been many important, history-making events which have taken in my lifetime…..but these four events are the bookmarks of my life…..the events from which I mark all other events.

Perhaps you detected a pattern to these events. I did. Good….bad….good….bad. With Good Fortune and with God’s Will, the next of these events will be GOOD.