WHILE IT’S NOT ideal, it is fitting that my last post (Day 17 of 30 Days of Joy but who’s counting?) was filled with the wonder and awe of the Venerable Monks on their 2,300-mile Walk for Peace. I was then able to see the monks in person twice: first on the outskirts of Lexington, SC, when Tim and I took our sweet granddaughter, Posey, so she could experience the holy with us; and second, the following day when Tim and I and our dear friend, Teresa, joined thousands of friends, neighbors and strangers as, in solidarity, we walked behind the monks as they crossed the Gervais Street bridge and made their way to the South Carolina statehouse.

Even now, all these months later, I have chills as I write this and remember.

AND NOW (after all these months!) what has moved me to write again is the awe and wonder I am still experiencing as I continue to obsess over the Artemis II Moon Mission. Like so many of you, I was glued to the television as the module containing those astronauts made its re-entry into our atmosphere and then safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. My husband and I held our collective breaths and then erupted into unprompted cheers—our arms raised—as confirmation came all was well. The last of the four, Captain Reid Wiseman, had stepped out of the capsule and like the other three, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hanson, was in good health and good spirits.

And still that excitement, that glory, is not what has prompted this post. For me, what has struck the strongest note is how these incredible human beings did something so remarkable—so beyond imagining—and then came home to step back into such sweet, simple, normal moments it humbles me.

Christina Koch gets home FROM THE MOON and her dog, Sadie, welcomes her.

Victor Glover is driven home and receives a hero’s welcome FROM THE PEOPLE IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

Commander Reid takes a commemorative photo with his girls. And it’s a back-seat selfie!!!

Jeremy Hanson takes a photo in space, then posts it after returning to earth—

and he writes:

Launching on April 1st meant I got back in time to celebrate my 23rd wedding anniversary with @drcatherinehansen today! Grateful to be able to share this zero g photo of my wedding ring in person over dinner tonight… as well as some cuddle time on Earth.

I remember seeing a comment on an Artemis photo in which the writer said to NASA: Thank you for choosing the right heroes.

I could not agree more.

Note: I have taken liberties in sharing photographs of these wonderful people for which I do not own the copyright. In hopes of making this reasonably acceptable, I have listed credits and intend the sharing to be 100% an honoring.