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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

—John 16:33

Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

Warren Buffett

Billionaire investor and business magnate Warren Buffett’s description of shade on a warm, sunny day is a perfect metaphor for the importance of long-term thinking and investing in the future. When we realize our actions can either help or harm our future selves — or later generations — the choices we make become immensely impactful. It may require sacrifice and hard work today, but we will surely be thankful for our efforts in the long run.

"Labour together with one another; strive in company together; run together; suffer together… as the stewards, and associates, and servants of God." St Ignatius of Antioch

Welcome visitors and friends with a garden flag to hang from a wrought iron garden flag pole, wall bracket, or mailbox. These celebratory flags add welcoming visual interest to home, garden or business and provide an extra display of color and whimsy for any outdoor space.

Sew a Garden Flag

In this Skillshare one hour course entitled Notion for Pattern Designers: Plan, Organise, & Manage Your Pattern Collections, Mel Armstrong takes you through the process of using Notion to create a database system for your pattern collections.

Review Notion for Pattern Designers...our Pattern Collections by Mel Armstrong

In this Watch Me Work course, Hope Johnson demonstrates how to create a portfolio in Adobe Indesign. Create a Portfolio with Adobe Indesign is one in a series of her Watch Me Work courses available on Skillshare.

Review - Create a Portfolio with Adobe Indesign

At the end of the day, we must go forward with hope and not backward by fear and division.

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

—Isaiah 6:3

Posted a new review yesterday for everyone to read. It's a discussion of the Australian film "The Home Song Stories" and the memoir "Halfway". Both are written by men whose mothers struggled to find stability in life. The review also highlights the importance of storytelling as a way to find meaning and understanding; particularly after having endured a disruptive childhood. Here's the link. The Home Song Stories and Halfway Review

“Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” (Psalm 33:22)

Born on April 9, 1921 in Hampton, Virginia, Mary Winston Jackson was an American mathematician and aerospace engineer at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which in 1958 was succeeded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career. She was NASA's first black female engineer.

For Mary Jackson, a love of science and a commitment to improving the lives of the people around her were one and the same. In the 1970s, she helped the youngsters in the science club at Hampton’s King Street Community center build their own wind tunnel and use it to conduct experiments. “We have to do something like this to get them interested in science," she said in an article for the local newspaper. "Sometimes they are not aware of the number of black scientists, and don't even know of the career opportunities until it is too late."

Mary’s own path to an engineering career at the NASA Langley Research Center was far from direct. She graduated from Hampton Institute in 1942 with a dual degree in Math and Physical Sciences, and accepted a job as a math teacher at a black school in Calvert County, Maryland. Then she did several different jobs before landing at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory’s segregated West Area Computing section in 1951.

After two years in the computing pool, Mary received an offer to work for engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki in the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000 horsepower wind tunnel capable of blasting models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound. Czarnecki offered Mary hands-on experience conducting experiments in the facility, and eventually suggested that she enter a training program that would allow her to earn a promotion from mathematician to engineer. Trainees had to take graduate level math and physics in after-work courses managed by the University of Virginia. Because the classes were held at then-segregated Hampton High School, however, Mary needed special permission from the City of Hampton to join her white peers in the classroom. Never one to flinch in the face of a challenge, she completed the courses and earned the promotion.

For nearly two decades she enjoyed a productive engineering career, authoring or co-authoring a dozen or so research reports. As the years progressed, the promotions slowed, and she became frustrated at her inability to break into management-level grades. In 1979, seeing that the glass ceiling was the rule rather than the exception for the center’s female professionals, she made a final, dramatic career change, leaving engineering and taking a demotion to fill the open position of Langley’s Federal Women’s Program Manager. There, she worked hard to impact the hiring and promotion of the next generation of all of NASA’s female mathematicians, engineers and scientists.

On this day in 1851 – April 12th – English astronomer Edward Walter Maunder was born in London.

He was a founder member of the British Astronomical Association, but is probably best remembered for his solar observing and the study of sunspots, in particular his discovery that very few sunspots had been seen during the years 1645 to 1715. This period is now known as the Maunder Minimum.

On this day in 1961 – April 12th – Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first spaceman.

Gagarin made the historic first orbit of the Earth in the Vostok 1 craft.

On this day in 2006 – April 11th – ESA's Venus Express was inserted into orbit around Venus.

The mission provided an enormous amount of data on the Venusian atmosphere until the European Space Agency concluded it in December 2014. In addition to helping to understand the atmosphere of Venus, it also contributed to an a general understanding of atmospheric dynamics in general, including climate change on Earth.

On this day in 1984 – April 11th – the crew of the space shuttle Challenger redeployed the astronomy Solar Max satellite.

The astronauts had retrieved the malfunctioning satellite and repaired it, the first time a satellite was repaired in space.

On this day in 1970 – April 11th – NASA's Apollo 13 Moon mission was launched.

This was the ill-fated mission that didn't make it onto the Moon, but with the assistance of a lot of smart and dedicated people, the astronauts made it safely back to Earth. The crew does however still hold the record for having travelled the farthest distance into space of any other humans. They were 400,171 km (248,655 mi) away from Earth on April 14, 1970.

On this day in 1960 – April 11th – Project Ozma began.

Cornell University astronomer Frank Drake initiated this project. It was a pioneering SETI (Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) experiment that searched for signs of life in distant planetary systems by monitoring interstellar radio waves.

“One thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4)

"I praise you, Lord, for you raised me up and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help and you healed me." Psalm 30: 2-3

Wow, what a way to grieve:

Trust your gut. Forgive yourself. Be grateful.

Cheryl Strayed

In her breakout memoir, “Wild,” author Cheryl Strayed recounts her solo thousand-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. For a backpacking novice and a woman traveling alone, reeling from her mother’s death and a recent divorce, it was a risky journey to undertake. But Strayed’s mental and physical journey gave her an anchor in arguably the hardest time of her young life. Strayed’s commitment to self-compassion in the face of adversity is a testament to how much we can survive by trusting our own internal compass. By forgiving our missteps and recognizing what we do have, we can move forward in new, exciting ways.

Sewing tips can be found just about anywhere. On the inside packaging of notions, among the pages of glossy sewing magazines, at sewing groups on just about any social media platform as well as numerous online tutorials, videos, and online classes. Every sewer has their favorite tips for sewing.

Useful Sewing Tips

On this day in 1919 – April 10th – American aerospace engineer John C. Houbolt was born in Altoona, Iowa.

Houbolt led the team behind the lunar orbit rendezvous (LOR) that was used to land humans on the Moon and return them to Earth. Using LOR, NASA saved time and billions of dollars by efficiently using existing rocket technology.

On this day in 1968 – April 9th – Europe's spaceport, the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) - Guiana Space Centre - became operational.

This first launch was of a sounding rocket from the French Veronique series.

On this day in 1959 – April 9th – NASA selected its first group of astronauts, known as the Mercury Seven.

They were the pioneers of the US manned space program: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. None of the Mercury Seven are still with us.

On this day in 1921 – April 9th – Mary Jackson was born in Hampton, Virginia, USA.

Jackson was NASA's first black female engineer. She began as a computer for NASA's predecessor organization, but went on to take advanced engineering classes. She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career.