The Astronaut and His Lady

Watching the Diane Sawyer interview with Commander Mark Kelly regarding his wife’s recovery was truly inspiring!

Now, for those who have read the musings of yours truly from yesterday, you know that this writer lost a bit of respect for Mark Kelly after reading an article where he “ripped” Speaker of the House John Boehner for not going by to visit Congresswoman Giffords during her recovery. It is still the personal opinion of this writer that bringing politics into their story lessens the beauty, just a bit, of the miracle that is Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords. There is still a small amount of respect that is forever lost. Yes, it is his right to speak his mind. It is also this writer’s right to wish that politics had been left at the door.

With politics out of the way, let’s look at the beauty that has come from tragedy.

January 8, 2011 is a day that is forever marked in American history. It was a senseless tragedy that should have never happened. As a nation, we held our collective breaths, not knowing if Congresswoman Giffords would live through the tragedy. In fact, it was originally reported that she had died.

Thankfully, those reports were wrong.

While this is not the first interview with Commander Kelly since the shooting, it is the first interview since the book about their journey since the shooting has been published. This is also the first interview where Congresswoman Giffords is interviewed since the shooting.

The book, entitled, “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope”, is most definitely titled appropriately.

Commander Kelly decided just a few days after the shooting to start videoing her progress. He was that optimistic that she was going to come through this. He said he knew that she would ask questions about the process, and he wanted to document it for her. They decided to share the videos to show that there is hope after a tragedy such as this.

There is no question that Mark Kelly loves his wife. One comment he made in the interview really struck a cord with me. He said that this is what his marriage vows are truly about… in sickness and in health. Though Gabby is not the picture-perfect model of beauty to the fashion world, she truly is the picture-perfect model of beauty from within. Whether or not you agree with her politics is not an issue. This woman is a survivor. A fighter. A warrior, as her mother said.

After watching the interview was was DVR’d on Friday night, this writer can graciously extend forgiveness to Commander Kelly’s comments regarding Speaker of the House Boehner just a bit. Yes, just a bit. While there still remains the wish that politics never have been brought into their beautiful tale of hope and healing, there is also an understanding on this side that maybe Speaker of the House Boehner is the easy one to lash out at.

There is one specific part of the interview that can be debated, which will be addressed in a separate article. But not here, not today. Today, this article is a celebration of life and healing in the midst of tragedy. This is a story about the astronaut and his lady. Their true, undying love for each other- for better for worse, in sickness and in health- is undeniable!

Commander Kelly, you have (mostly!) redeemed yourself in the eyes of this humble writer. May God bless you, keep you, and continue to give you strength on your continued journey with your beautiful wife!

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You can see the entire 20/20 episode here.