Old Wounds, New Life

April 09, 1957
A very good year. This saint of God was born. Other less celebrated things happened, like.......

It was the year Sputnik I and II were launched.
It was the year schools in Little Rock Arkansas were forcibly integrated.
Eisenhower was starting his second term as US President.
Elvis was doing his thing.
The Cold War was in full swing.
The 57 Chevy was the car of choice.
Joe McCarthy(held Senate Communism hearings) died, as did Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie author).
The country of Ghana won its independence.
The country of Malaya attained sovereignty.
Hank Aaron was the National League's most valuable player.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was organized.
Richfield Oil established Alaska's first commercially viable oil production on the Swanson River.
Steve Allen was the host of "The Tonight Show."
The Teamsters Union was expelled from the AFL-CIO due to charges of corruption.
"West Side Story" opened on Broadway.
The International Geophysical Year (57 - 58) brought about a great amount of research into the environment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency was established to oversee the development and spread of nuclear technology and materials.
In the Middle East, the Suez Canal was closed due to conflicts.
Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn starred in Funny Face.
"I Love Lucy" was in its last year on TV. (Original episodes)
The "European Economic Community" (EEC) was established.
Willy Brandt became mayor of West Berlin.
Humphrey Bogart died.
Daniel Bovet won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research into antihistamines.
"Bloom County" cartoonist Berkeley Breathed was born.
Antarctica explorer Richard Byrd died.
Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat.
Mao Tse Tung was in power in China
Juan Batista was in control in Cuba.
John Diefenbaker was Prime Minister of Canada.
US Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.
"Papa Doc" Francois Duvalier was elected President of Haiti.
Anthony Eden resigned as Prime Minister of England and was replaced by Harold MacMillan.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected President of Egypt.
The first commercial nuclear reactor was opened in Shippingport, PA.
The "Everly Brothers" released their hit single Wake Up Little Susie.
First ascent of Broad Peak (12th highest mountain).
Major league baseballer Jackie Robinson retires.
Wham-O Company produces the first Frisbee.
Ellen Louks Fairclough sworn in as Canada's first woman Cabinet Minister.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles meet for the first time.
First appearance of "In God We Trust" on U.S. paper currency.

Fifty....50....1/2 a century.....my goodness.....where has the time gone. It was a tough one. I have never had a tough birthday to adjust to. This one was. I don't think it is the age. It is the idea of the age. I have nothing but admiration and gratitude for the God that brought me through so much to this point. Amazing.

April 18, 1981
Black Saturday....the day between Good Friday and Easter Monday. The day I became a married woman. The Covenant for me is still intact. This has been a case of great sorrow for me, and a lot of bitterness....He has brought me to the other side of this however.....I think, and after years, I have been able to see that I am not the one in control here.....it is the Father and He has used this for His purpose...I have been forgiven for my sins, past present and future and my Life is in Him. To focus on anything or anyone else is futility. This is a good place to be and even though I revisit the pain of the past, it is best left. God has been faithful to me, from the beginning of my Life in Him. Events, have shaped my earthly life but my identity.....who I am ....to the Father has never changed. He has lavished His love upon me. I am grateful.

Some other interesting things happened this year, like.........

Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, is arrested.
Super Bowl XV: The Oakland Raiders defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10.
A fire at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino kills eight and injures 198.
After 19 years presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time.
President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C. hotel by John Hinckley, Jr., family friend of the Vice President.
The first IBM PC is introduced.
Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse.
Death of Reggae legend Bob Marley.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California, have a rare form of pneumonia seen only in patients with weakened immune systems (these were the first recognized cases of AIDS).
Major League Baseball players begin a 49 day strike over the issue of free-agent compensation.
Lady Diana Spencer marries Charles, Prince of Wales.
First broadcasts by MTV. The first video played was "Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles.
The IBM PC, an early personal computer, is introduced.
The first Friday the 13th event held by motorcyclists in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada.

Enough about me....how has your month been? :)