Ken Mattingly. This is a name you should all know. If you don't you should really look him up (not on Wikipedia). He may not be the most famous person in the world, or be remembered the way he should be, but he is a man we can all relate to.
Apollo 11 was an amazing success. Man walked on the moon. We beat Russia and American pride caught like wildfire. The nation was glued to the television as history was made. Walter Kronkite teared up as Armstrong lept out of the LEM and into the history books. It was a moment to make any blue blooded American shout for joy. From the that moment on anything was possible. There were no longer limitations. kids everywhere dreamed of outerspace.
Then Jim Lovell was called up to command Apollo 13. Unlucky 13. If only they had know just how true that superstition was going to prove. Three men were about to have their dreams come true: Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Ken Mattingly. They knew each other inside and out and their thoughts were in sync, but then one dream would be crushed. With lift off quickly approaching Ken Mattingly (an experienced pilot) was grounded and replaced by Jack Swaggert. After years of preparation and weeks of training he would not join his crew on their quest to the moon. With the space programs future unsure, Mattingly thought he had lost his only chance to see the moon.
How crushed he must have felt. His dreams were unraveling and it seemed so unfair. And yet the world didn't stop. No one came to hold his hand as he cried it out. The mission continued and he was left to watch with the world from his living room.
How many times have we had our dreams so close we could touch them? Believed we earned them? And then watched as they slipped away not necessarily by any fault of our own, just circumstances? How have we handled it? I've never really had my dreams crash before...that is until recently. I wanted to graduate top of my high school class. I worked my butt off and I graduated 5th out of almost 300. I wanted to get into the University of Georgia. Bam, accepted with early admission and on my birthday none the less. I have always worked hard and gotten what I "deserved." And then that first letter arrived saying no. An opportunity of a life time and I wasn't good enough. I went against 1900 other applicants, a no wasn't a shock, but I hadn't really had that before. Did I do something wrong? No, I worked really hard on my script, but the program didn't want me. So, I will get to watch the success of those were accepted from my computer screen and watch with jealousy as they get assigned into writing rooms, just as Mattingly watched the space craft launch on his mission.
This would be a super depressing story if that is where it ended for poor Mattingly, but as any good piece of history, it gets better. Three days after Apollo 13 left Earth in its rearview mirror there was an explosion taking with it the small crews dreams of touching the moon. More importantly than that however, it also made their return journey virtually impossible. Thousands of technicians, ground control, inventors, scientists, mechanics and astronauts worked around the clock to devise a plan to get the men home safely. Ken Mattingly became essential in the rescue effort. He became key in producing a reentry plan to get them back. Had he been on that ship as planned he would not have been able to save the lives of the men aboard who had become his family. He understood what was needed having trained with them for countless hours and he knew the men in question. He was not the only one responsible for their return, but it is arguable that without him the outcome could have been much different.
Funny how that works, huh? He had it all figured, then he mourned as his dream dissolved in front of him. But God had him right where he was needed, even though Mattingly didn't realize it at first. SO even though my starry dreams of screenwriting were turned down, God has me in this horrid town for some reason. He has me with this company for some reason. I just have to be patient and make the most of my situation. That doesn't mean I am giving up on my dreams, not by a long shot, but it means I am going to try and be more content where I am NOW, because here is where God needs me for some reason He'll make clear when I am needed.
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