June 18, 1983.
Most of the country will remember that day for the event that sparked the same headline to appear in newspapers all across the country, including this one.
Ride, Sally Ride!
Sally Ride became the first woman astronaut, rocketing into space and taking her spot beside men with names like Glenn, Shepard, Armstrong and Aldrin.
Me? You’ll excuse me if I remember the date for another reason.
I got married that day.
Yeah, you might say I was about to go into orbit as well.
Sally Ride died yesterday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 61. You can read an appreciation of her life here.
A little more than a month ago, my wife and I celebrated 29 years of marriage. Every year we chuckle when we look at the ‘Today in History’ column for June 18. Sally Ride is always at the top of the list.
Her “Ride” is now over. Ours continues.
This morning our daughter is taking the Bar Exam in downtown Philly. She and her mother camped out in a downtown hotel so that she would not have the hassle of getting in and out of the city.
They left me to fend for myself on the home front.
It was a very odd feeling to go home to an empty house last night.
Earlier this week our son left for West Virginia, where he is starting his teaching career.
It gave me time to think about everything that has happened in the last 29 years.
Good luck, Rachel. And to you, Sean.
Thanks for the memories, Sally.
And to my wife? What can I say. It’s been a great “ride."
Comments