I read this substack article today because of the year in the title, 1976, the year I was discharged from the Navy. There are a number of similarities in your life that coincide with mine but with a delta. I joined ESL , a small company founded by Bill Perry Sec Def in Clinton admin, in 1980 which became a TRW subsidiary in 1985, which you joined in '89. I went thru a divorce in 2002 after which my kids lived with me and we struggled financially. I had spent the previous 4-5 years enroute to an MBA during all the upheaval while working full time. Oh yea, I live in Ca. Maybe it's the environment here!
OMG! Snap! i was also 9 in 1976 during the British drought of that year. Was it bad in Germany? I also had that S and G album and Emily is my favourite track! I
Cog Carb — Catching up with you today. I have so many saved notes of your pieces — shortened by repetition to “CogCarb”. Most of those I lack the background to do more than wade into, but, nevertheless, the knowledge there and clear desire on your part to HELP the reader comprehend kept me searching out whatever you had to say.
Thank you for this lovely and evocative vignette. May God Bless your home in Michigan with your beloved, Emily. May you always find her near.
I’ve got my eye on that Simon and Garfunkel album when my dad decides to finally give it up. The best! I always cried over sounds of silence in high school, in the ‘80s. Lovely story, thank you for sharing!
GREAT piece!! I graduated from high school in 1976...our bi-centennial year. Reading this article brought back many memories from that long past decade. Thank you for the memories. 😉
Fantastic story! I was an Army brat. Dad was stationed in Ansbach from '82-'85, which was 8th, 9th and 10th grade. Since I was tall at 14 (I could see over the top of the bar), I acquired an early taste for good beer. Dad had some high quality stereo equipment (reel-to reel and turntable) and lots of record albums. I remember listening to everything from Beethoven and Bach to Elvis, the Carpenters, the Beatles, and Ray Stevens. Simon and Garfunkel were there too. Oh, the memories.
What wonderful memories you’ve brought up. We, too, were military and when I was 20, moved from Kansas with my military husband and 6 month old son to Germany. He was stationed at Kaiserslautern and lived in Landstuhl on the 3rd floor. We went to Ramstein regularly and our daughter was born at the Landstuhl hospital! We recorded cassette tapes to family as it was too expensive to call. I have wonderful memories of living there and the time away made me appreciate our ‘country blessings’ even more. Looking back, it becomes so clear how God prepared us for whatever is coming and that is such a comfortable place, much like old memories. God bless you and Emily.🙏
That was a "spiritual journey," that road trip! What an amazing story -- I love it when God gives an unexpected "hug." How beautiful! I loved your descriptions of your time in Germany too, since I'm an Air Force brat myself. We were leaving Upper Heyford, England, at the same time you were at Ramstein tho I'm a little older. (Our high school even played Ramstein in sports!) During our years there, we lived in several houses "on the economy" before landing on base, the best of which was a "lodge" built in the 1600s and "modernized" in the 40s. Three stories, seven bedrooms, five baths and an honest-to-God stone spiral staircase to the rooftop, it was the country home of a British diplomat when we were there. The history of the place, tho, is the most remarkable thing about it -- As you noted, that sense of the depth of history, and the "connection" to our role in history that we young Americans were privileged to experience at that time -- that was a gift. That sense has remained with me all my life, framing my perspective, shaping my attitude, informing my actions -- and all of it set to the sweet soundtrack of the 70s. My first concert was an all-day festival at Wembley Stadium, and a big group of us kids went together on the train. The lineup included among others, Chaka Khan (Sly Stone) and the Eagles -- But it was when the Beach Boys took the stage with a giant American flag, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers, that I felt this incredible swell of pride and happiness and... connection. That was cool. I'll never forget it. Thanks for bringing it to mind again today!
Jul 14, 2023·edited Jul 14, 2023Liked by CognitiveCarbon
Like pebbles dropped into the water, all events send ripples into the past which can be perceived in the present as familiarities, urgings, etc. They also, of course, send waves into the future, where they may influence us as we navigate our way within a realm of endless possibilities. When I was searching for a new home in 1986, I rejected many until I happened upon a townhouse community in the initial stages of development. When I visited the area for a first 'look-see', I felt a subtle comfort and a not-so-subtle attraction that could only come from a future striking me with a torrent of ripples. I thrived there for the following 14 years, until I decided to make another move out of the hectic city and into the more peaceful country in 2008. Once again, my future home welcomed me as soon as I entered the long driveway into the property. The accumulated events of my next 14 years of healthy and happy life spoke to me that day as I wandered about the property... repeatedly whispering "this is a fine future for you , you'll do well by accepting it"...
Cheers to you and Emily! May your future ripples guide your path together and may you both continue to send ceaseless waves of fond memories into the past...
I loved that! Thanks for writing it. I am 7 years older than you, but I grew up in Indiana and with that S&G album. And all the music technologies you described. Glad you and your Emily found each other. It’s cool when we are suddenly made aware just how much God’s mighty and loving Hand is upon us and truly working out all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! (Rom 8:28)
Very nostalgia, thank you! S & G greatest hits was very well worn for me as a teenager. My eldest daughter's name is Emily, and I had given birth to her after a date rape in college. I gave her up for adoption because I wasn't able to care well enough for her, so whenever I played that song, the 'wherever I may find her' really got to me. Happily I did reconnect with her in 1998, July 4. We'd both been looking for each other, and it was only when I finally decided a few months before that to just let the pain and the hurt go, that she called me out of the blue. Had to let her go to realize she really WAS MINE... because she returned in physicality to me just 3 months after that hard decision.
I read this substack article today because of the year in the title, 1976, the year I was discharged from the Navy. There are a number of similarities in your life that coincide with mine but with a delta. I joined ESL , a small company founded by Bill Perry Sec Def in Clinton admin, in 1980 which became a TRW subsidiary in 1985, which you joined in '89. I went thru a divorce in 2002 after which my kids lived with me and we struggled financially. I had spent the previous 4-5 years enroute to an MBA during all the upheaval while working full time. Oh yea, I live in Ca. Maybe it's the environment here!
That is a beautiful story. A divine encounter known way beforehand! I may or may not have shed some salt water from my eyes!
OMG! Snap! i was also 9 in 1976 during the British drought of that year. Was it bad in Germany? I also had that S and G album and Emily is my favourite track! I
“For Emily ..... 😭
Cog Carb — Catching up with you today. I have so many saved notes of your pieces — shortened by repetition to “CogCarb”. Most of those I lack the background to do more than wade into, but, nevertheless, the knowledge there and clear desire on your part to HELP the reader comprehend kept me searching out whatever you had to say.
Thank you for this lovely and evocative vignette. May God Bless your home in Michigan with your beloved, Emily. May you always find her near.
I’ve got my eye on that Simon and Garfunkel album when my dad decides to finally give it up. The best! I always cried over sounds of silence in high school, in the ‘80s. Lovely story, thank you for sharing!
Wonderful story. What part of Michigan did you settle in?
As for myself, 72 years in central, eastern Michigan near the Thumb.
Thou I've traveled to all but 3-4 states bc I love America and her people.
GREAT piece!! I graduated from high school in 1976...our bi-centennial year. Reading this article brought back many memories from that long past decade. Thank you for the memories. 😉
Fantastic story! I was an Army brat. Dad was stationed in Ansbach from '82-'85, which was 8th, 9th and 10th grade. Since I was tall at 14 (I could see over the top of the bar), I acquired an early taste for good beer. Dad had some high quality stereo equipment (reel-to reel and turntable) and lots of record albums. I remember listening to everything from Beethoven and Bach to Elvis, the Carpenters, the Beatles, and Ray Stevens. Simon and Garfunkel were there too. Oh, the memories.
What wonderful memories you’ve brought up. We, too, were military and when I was 20, moved from Kansas with my military husband and 6 month old son to Germany. He was stationed at Kaiserslautern and lived in Landstuhl on the 3rd floor. We went to Ramstein regularly and our daughter was born at the Landstuhl hospital! We recorded cassette tapes to family as it was too expensive to call. I have wonderful memories of living there and the time away made me appreciate our ‘country blessings’ even more. Looking back, it becomes so clear how God prepared us for whatever is coming and that is such a comfortable place, much like old memories. God bless you and Emily.🙏
That was a "spiritual journey," that road trip! What an amazing story -- I love it when God gives an unexpected "hug." How beautiful! I loved your descriptions of your time in Germany too, since I'm an Air Force brat myself. We were leaving Upper Heyford, England, at the same time you were at Ramstein tho I'm a little older. (Our high school even played Ramstein in sports!) During our years there, we lived in several houses "on the economy" before landing on base, the best of which was a "lodge" built in the 1600s and "modernized" in the 40s. Three stories, seven bedrooms, five baths and an honest-to-God stone spiral staircase to the rooftop, it was the country home of a British diplomat when we were there. The history of the place, tho, is the most remarkable thing about it -- As you noted, that sense of the depth of history, and the "connection" to our role in history that we young Americans were privileged to experience at that time -- that was a gift. That sense has remained with me all my life, framing my perspective, shaping my attitude, informing my actions -- and all of it set to the sweet soundtrack of the 70s. My first concert was an all-day festival at Wembley Stadium, and a big group of us kids went together on the train. The lineup included among others, Chaka Khan (Sly Stone) and the Eagles -- But it was when the Beach Boys took the stage with a giant American flag, and the entire stadium erupted in cheers, that I felt this incredible swell of pride and happiness and... connection. That was cool. I'll never forget it. Thanks for bringing it to mind again today!
Like pebbles dropped into the water, all events send ripples into the past which can be perceived in the present as familiarities, urgings, etc. They also, of course, send waves into the future, where they may influence us as we navigate our way within a realm of endless possibilities. When I was searching for a new home in 1986, I rejected many until I happened upon a townhouse community in the initial stages of development. When I visited the area for a first 'look-see', I felt a subtle comfort and a not-so-subtle attraction that could only come from a future striking me with a torrent of ripples. I thrived there for the following 14 years, until I decided to make another move out of the hectic city and into the more peaceful country in 2008. Once again, my future home welcomed me as soon as I entered the long driveway into the property. The accumulated events of my next 14 years of healthy and happy life spoke to me that day as I wandered about the property... repeatedly whispering "this is a fine future for you , you'll do well by accepting it"...
Cheers to you and Emily! May your future ripples guide your path together and may you both continue to send ceaseless waves of fond memories into the past...
I loved that! Thanks for writing it. I am 7 years older than you, but I grew up in Indiana and with that S&G album. And all the music technologies you described. Glad you and your Emily found each other. It’s cool when we are suddenly made aware just how much God’s mighty and loving Hand is upon us and truly working out all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! (Rom 8:28)
Very nostalgia, thank you! S & G greatest hits was very well worn for me as a teenager. My eldest daughter's name is Emily, and I had given birth to her after a date rape in college. I gave her up for adoption because I wasn't able to care well enough for her, so whenever I played that song, the 'wherever I may find her' really got to me. Happily I did reconnect with her in 1998, July 4. We'd both been looking for each other, and it was only when I finally decided a few months before that to just let the pain and the hurt go, that she called me out of the blue. Had to let her go to realize she really WAS MINE... because she returned in physicality to me just 3 months after that hard decision.
That brought tears. Thank you for sharing.
very sweet and poignant story. Have followed your work on the gene therapies and all things covid...helped keep a lot of us sane. Thank you