By Dave Andrusko
If there is such a thing as a reverse spoiler alert, this may well qualify. In this post, you will figure out where I am headed long before I get there. Having said that….
Today, as most of us know, is the 50th Earth Day. The video below, looking down on the Earth, comes from NASA.
Here’s an overview summary of a series of spectacular photos AOL posted in 2014:
“Above, take a look through some of the splendid photos of Mother Earth that have been shot from outer space through the years. From the original Blue Marble photo shot back in 1972 to the new high-definition Blue Marble images to a screen shot of the very first video image of Earth taken by a weather satellite in 1960, the photos are breathtaking on any day, but take on a special meaning on Earth Day.”
If you put that first black-and-white televised image of earth taken from the satellite and put it alongside the extremely high definition images that are now routinely produced, the early photos border on the primitive.
But if the improvement of images taken of “Mother Earth” is remarkable, it is even more so for images taken of every pregnant Mom’s “passenger.”
Once upon a time, that little one was largely invisible. Today pictures of unborn children are everywhere–on our refrigerators, in albums, and everywhere in advertisements.
Our four children are now all adults with children of their own. When my wife was first pregnant in the early 1980s, I confess I had to pretend I could make out what I saw on the ultrasound. Thankfully, the techs were kind enough to point out that “this” was a hand and “this” was the heart. (I had trouble even making out the head!)
Not anymore. Talk about a marriage of technologies. When my daughter in law sent me the first ultrasounds of our two grandkids, they came by text!
Today we see unborn children (and grandchildren) in stunning four-color “real time,” meaning you could see them running all over the place. The facial features are distinct, not blurs, and no one has to help distinguish (literally) heads from tails.
Earth Day reminds us to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of Planet Earth. But everyday—365 days a year—we should celebrate the unborn child’s incredible beauty.
Celebrate and appreciate and be in awe of the Miracle of Life.