Kourtney’s Blog

I love Buzz Lightyear. The Buzz Ride is my favorite ride at Disney. I feel satisfied at the end when the high score on my laser gun proves that I’ve defeated the evil Zurg–all while encouraging a four year old, holding a toddler and smiling for a camera in the dark. Like Buzz, I can relate to wanting to save the world. “To infinity and beyond” doesn’t seem so far fetched and unrealistic. I was like this as a child too.

Besides wanting to save the world, I feel so endeared to good old Buzz because he is a Space Ranger. I have always been in awe of the Space Program. I remember exactly where I was when the Challenger exploded–in the cafeteria in 6th grade eating lunch. I can see Mrs. Corn’s face and smell the smells when she announced the tragedy. I loved visiting the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Until I realized how nauseous I might really get, I actually considered what it would take to be an astronaut.

But my favorite reason by far for loving space is that two of my favorite spiritual mentors are Apollo astronaut, Charlie Duke and his dear wife, Dottie (please see www.charlieduke.net). Growing up in our little Episcopal church in Texas, Dottie and Charlie prayed me through my teenage angst and were always so loving and encouraging of me…and still are. I just loved Charlie and Dottie so much that although I knew that it was a big deal that Charlie was an astronaut, I didn’t really get it until I had three little boys (and one big boy).

My boys are totally into space. They have astronaut outfits for dress up, and when they were included in our lunch with Grand Duke and Dottie in January, they fought over who got to sit next to them. So imagine my joy today (enough to finally sit down and add to my blog after four months) when after almost exactly two years of living in Florida, we finally saw a Space Shuttle launch. We’ve made numerous attempts that were foiled by weather and other acts of God. But thankfully, today at 5:02 pm surrounded by a huge crowd of people, the Streets heard the countdown, felt the trembling rumble, and saw the shooting fire. Even little David knew that something was special. He kept pointing to the sky and “talking.” I couldn’t help but cry.

I think it will take me a while to process what I experienced today. I am not gifted in science and all things mechanical and technical. What I saw today was mind blowing. I just can’t comprehend what it takes to launch people into space. It’s all wrapped up for me in Buzz’s mantra “To infinity and beyond” which has such radical spiritual implications. The launch and subsequent space adventure has illuminated for me that it is all so big out there. I can’t get my finite mind around my infinite heavenly father. Thankfully, I’ll have “infinity and beyond” to ponder…