Annually, when the calendar rolls around to a newbryear, I am reminded of asking my parents if I would live to the year 2000.
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I was probably about 10 years old, so that wouldbrhave been 1954. At that time, there were a lot of newspaper and magazinebrarticles on rockets and space travel. Stories that captured this kid’sbrimagination about lunching man made moons called satellites, space stationsbrorbiting the earth and travel to the moon.
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It was forecast that a lot of amazing things werebrgoing to happen by the year 2000. For a 10-year-old in 1954 the year 2000 was abrlong way away. My parents explained that I would be 56 years old and verybrlikely to see the year 2000.
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Now, as we enter the year 2020, I wonder ifbranyone my age ever wondered, as I did, if they would see the year 2000. I wasbrfascinated with airplanes and space travel and growing up in the 1950s and 60sbrwas the era of aviation records of faster, higher, and further.
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I had no idea how beneficial this advancingbrtechnology would become. Today, we have come to expect navigation by GPS. WhenbrI travel in the back country, out of cell phone coverage, I carry a satellitebrphone for emergency use. I read the other day there are more than 800brsatellites circling the earth including a manned space station. Our nation justbrcreated a U.S. Space Force. I am thankful I am alive and well to see all this.brI have lived during the best of times.
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However, at age 75, when I look at the largerbrpicture of our nation, I am concerned about the moral decay our country hasbrbeen experiencing. I am concerned about religious persecution that seems to bebrgrowing. I appreciate our Christian values that this nation was founded on.
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At my age I have seen a of lot history and as abrpilot I have traveled throughout the United States, including Alaska andbrHawaii. I am glad I have settled in rural Utah County. Not only is it abrbeautiful area, it feels safer than many other places in this country, and Ibrappreciate the values and patriotism of our community.
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I am looking forward to the year 2020 and now askbrmyself will I see the year 2030? I certainly hope so and I will do my best tobrbe there. (Helmick is a Serve Daily contributor.)
