On the calendar, it says July 4th is Independence Day. To me, every day is a day to celebrate our independence and freedom.

There’s no doubt it’s been a crappy year, even though it looks like things are starting to look up. We’ve all been battered by a microorganism we can’t even see. Businesses have shut down, people have lost jobs, we’ve all been isolated from loved ones…and so on. Pretty rough, huh?

One of my favorite movies is Contact, the story of a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. The film, an adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name, stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, the film’s protagonist.

I’ve been looking for inspiration of late. It’s been a hard year for everyone, and my situation at home is more challenging than ever. My only daughter is facing major surgery to repair a damaged digestive system. Without it, she won’t survive.