Dear Virgin Galactic And The Tourists,

It’s been over a week since you all flew to a place very few have had an opportunity to see in person. Space! It’s well-known and mysterious at the same time, because of the places we don’t know that’s out there.
The morning I had the privilege to see you all take that incredible ride into space, It started off as a typical morning. I turned my tv and went to CBS News because that channel gives me comfort. Plus I really like the reporters they have on that channel. They do an outstanding job of covering news.

When CBS News came up, it showed two reporters talking as usual about a current event that happened.A few minutes later, CBS showed your ship and your crew about to take off in space. I was so excited to see what was going on with you and the people you would be taking along for the ride.

The crew members look so calm going up high in the sky. I was excited but nervous for them as I watch them rise up, like a person who had just discovered high self-esteem. When the tourists started to float out of their seats, I couldn’t believe it. I had seen that happen in so many movies on space. But to see it happen for real was surreal to me.

When you reach out in the space, I was thrilled like the tourists and couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Seeing Earth like it looks in science books was too much for me. Seeing that bright light that looked like the sun made an already unreal experience even more unreal to me.

”Space is real. Earth how it looks in various pictures is real. The sun is real too. Floating in space is real also”, I thought.

I would get nervous, hoping that nothing bad would happen to you all being up there in space. Thankfully, you all would eventually landed back on Earth a couple minutes later.

If I was feeling various emotions from watching your flight experience, I can’t imagine what it must of felt like to actually live the experience. So thank you for giving me (and others who watched it) a taste of the space life.

Sincerly,

Dear Summer,

You’ve been a welcoming change from the cold and cloudy days we had at the beginning of the year.
After a long Winter that seemed like it would never end, you came with a vengeance in June. Seeing the sunshine and giving life to the sky lifted my spirits. It was also great having beach weather that makes it great to go to North Beach in Corpus Christi.
Seeing that beautiful green water and seeing Seagulls flying all over the place is thanks to you. Seeing people at various stores, who I don’t usually see during the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons (unless it’s a holiday) is also thanks to you.
I appreciate your season and contribution to helping planet Earth, but, you can leave now.
The heat you brought with you this year has been relentless. It’s been 100-degree weather every day. But the relentless heat doesn’t stop in the daytime. It speaks its mind at night too, making the AC and the fan almost non-existent.
A few minutes ago, I went outside on my balcony just to enjoy the beautiful view outside with the sun & blue sky. Usually, I’ll be outside for 30 minutes to an hour. I only lasted a few minutes outside thanks to your heat & humidity.
The power of the humidity consumed me immediately, but I tried to be a good soldier about it until I couldn’t handle it anymore.
If your thermostat would turn down some, I would be good with you hanging around a lot longer, but this 100-degree weather isn’t going away anytime soon, so I’m good with you being gone until you come around next year.
I thank you for your service, but it’s time for you to go underground.

Sincerely,

Dear America,

As Friday unfurls its grandeur upon us, let us take a moment to ponder our personal evolution. Have we shed the skin of our former selves to embody a better version of us? Or are we stuck in the mire of the familiar, resisting the clarion call to change and swimming in the stagnation of the past?

Let us shine a light on our path ahead and strive towards a new dawn. Do memories of our journey loom large, threatening to hold us back from fulfilling our potential for growth and freedom? Consider what your legacy would say to your present self- does your life matter enough to push for positive change for yourself, your loved ones, and your communities?

Perhaps you’ve been running from change like a plague, unable to articulate why it feels so alien and daunting. But remember, with every failure comes the invaluable gift of wisdom. And with sacrifice comes abundance. Embrace change with open arms, for it may shake the very foundations of your existence- but only to take you to heights you’ve never previously imagined.

Love without Regret,
Rashan Speller

Dear Ralph,

I’m saddened to have read about what you went through last week. No one so young should experience getting shot twice by a homeowner. But sadly, you’ve got to see an extreme side of human nature. Some people have no conscience for human life, as we keep learning through modern news reports.

It’s also disheartening that you went to three houses before you got the help you desperately needed.

It saddens me that you have probably been wondering what happened that day, but I’m glad that you’re still alive. I’m so used to hearing that the person didn’t make it after being shot at. That says a lot about where we’re at as a society. We’ve become desensitized to this kind of news because it seems to have every day.

That needs to change quickly. I just wish more people would act on that change and realize that acting violently on impulse isn’t the way. It only creates destruction and chaos for the individual and their loved ones.

Your healing journey has begun. Hopefully, the love and support you get from others empower you to continue on your journey and to maintain being a talented musician and student. I’m rooting for you to let your light shine even brighter. Hang in there and remember, trouble doesn’t last always.

Sincerely
Gerald

Dear Ralph,

I am writing to you today with a heart that is heavy with sadness and a mind that is filled with outrage. The news of your shooting has shaken me to my core, and I cannot imagine the pain and trauma that you and your loved ones are going through.

It is as if a storm has descended upon you, a storm that you did not see coming and were powerless to prevent. And yet, in the midst of this storm, you have shown remarkable strength and resilience. You are a beacon of hope in the darkness, a reminder that even in the face of senseless violence, there is still love and compassion in the world.

The path ahead of you may be long and difficult, much like a winding road through a treacherous landscape. But I know that you are strong enough to navigate this road, and that you will emerge from this experience even stronger and more determined to make a positive impact on the world.

It is my hope that this tragedy will serve as a wake-up call to all of us, a call to action to stand up against the senseless violence and injustice that plagues our society. Let us work together to build a world where young people like you can walk freely and safely, where the color of your skin or the zip code you live in does not determine your fate.

As you continue on your journey of recovery, know that you are not alone. You have an army of supporters and well-wishers behind you, cheering you on every step of the way. You are a symbol of hope and resilience, a living testament to the power of the human spirit.

I send you my deepest love and support, and I pray that you will find the strength and courage to overcome this storm. May the sun shine brightly on your path, and may you always know that you are loved and valued.

Sincerely,

Your brother

Honestly, I had a difficult time “celebrating” Memorial Day this year. Obviously there is a debate to be had of whether a day of remembrance of the dead deserves celebration; but in this country it has been celebrated, as a day of rest and “freedom”.

This year, it felt kind of pointless to me. Yes those who have served and died, still deserve to be honored of course; but the freedom bit … that felt more bogus than ever.

Spirit brought to my attention this beautiful clip of Marian Anderson singing at the National Mall, over 82 years ago [https://youtu.be/XF9Quk0QhSE ]. It got me thinking…

How much has actually changed?
How much has changed in name only?
What happened to all this “progress”?

Have we not become a country of a gilded age?-Shiny and idealized on some levels, and oh so cheap and broken inside, where it actually counts?

Was it always this way? Was it always so shoddily made; and our hope and constant strive for better just deceived us all out of seeing it?

I watched these people stand in this clip 82 years ago, and could not help but think that not a single one of them was really free. How could we look upon them who fought for, and promised their children better, when we and their great grandchildren would still be facing some of the same issues (or worse) all these years later?

Personally, I am of the school of thought that no government can free you anyway. They should honor and create space for it to stretch its wings of course; but in my experience, Freedom comes from above and inside you.

That being said, I detest that this country (among others), can still proclaim freedom as one of their attributes, while constantly cutting away at it, with an increasingly deteriorating, destructive, and divisive way of being.

I weep to see people wasting time and energy fighting amongst themselves, or waiting with baited breath for someone “in charge” to do something. I don’t know yet what we do from here; but I pray we stop looking cycles of insanity in the face, screaming or crying in their general direction, and then again turning away until the next uproarious event.

Our ancestors, children, and ourselves deserve much better than this.

I hope you are all keeping well and safe, and finding your own ways to explore and elevate Freedom.

Thank you for helping me have an outlet to express my piece 🧩 (until lasting peace is found).

Be Blessed.
With LoveLight & LightCodes…
𓌂©♡~Danielle, #DAMCL ™,
@DsEnlightenedEdits ™®☆🌈𓌂𓎬
𓌂©www.DAMCLDesigns.com ™®𓌂𓍳𓇳𓌂𓋹𓂓𓋴🙏 𓍶 🕯

Dear Unsealers,
The last couple of days have brought so much sadness to our country. Seeing so many young beautiful people lose their life so horrifically is too much to bear. On top of that, I feel so much frustration. Is there not anything we can do to change the trajectory of this awful problem. Is there no common ground to change something to reduce the risk too our children? With all the brain power in Washington, can’t the politicians come up with one initial action that can lead to a change in course. I know there are so many reasons why this gun violence happens. So you would think there would be so many possible ways to mitigate the problem. Instead of arguing about guns lets all try to find perhaps a liitle bit of common ground to make a difference and honor the lives of all those we have lost to our national disgrace.

From the heart with respect for everyone with views that are different then mine,

You probably didn’t expect your lives to end so soon, or be talked about on the news and the internet. You all were learning at school and playing with your classmates. You were sons and daughters to parents, who were excited to see how your young lives would turn in the future. Sadly, your story ended two days ago. You join the numbers of other kids & adults who had their lives cut short because of terrible timing one day. I first heard of the tragic news from my dad, but, I didn’t know what he was speaking about until I found out about the news on Twitter. I’m still in disbelief about the whole situation. Why would the shooter want to kill young children & teachers? I hate to hear these kinds of reports. It would be great if we never had anything like this happen. This tragedy is going to be felt…forever, especially by the families/friends of the children & teachers who were killed. I don’t want to believe that these cruel acts can happen in this world. But, sadly they do. If only there were a remedy for it to never happen again, that would be great.