At 8:47 PM EST in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off as STS-116, the most challenging mission yet for the most complicated machine ever built. Leaving as the first night launch in four years, the most culturally diverse Shuttle crew ever will continue work on the International Space Station.
Around the same time. further north in New York City, a 25-pound trophy called the Heisman is handed to someone who spent teenage years in foster care in the Cleveland area, Troy Smith. He wins the award for the year's best college player in the country by getting a record 86.7% of the first-place votes. In the process, he becomes the first true quarterback ever from the Big Ten to win this award. Not too shabby nor surprising for the guy who's 11-1 vs. ranked teams and 3-0 against Michigan. The biggest test awaits him on January 8, 2007, in the national championship game. Who knows how brightly his career will shine in the NFL afterwards.
It's worth noting the parallels between these two achievements tonight. The Space Shuttle mission will not be successful without unique contributions from the individuals on the crew, while Smith would not be receiving his individual prize without all his coaches, teammates, and family past and present. Moreover, exciting challenges and difficulties surely lie in the days ahead for both the Shuttle crew and Smith, so while the liftoff and Heisman are great moments in themselves, they merely point to the next level ahead.
No such dramatic show of a new start here in my home on this Saturday.night. As long as I have breath and God exists, though, I too can expect new beginnings.
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