Merry Christmas.

I was 7 years old when the photo above was taken. Every time I see it, I remember listening to the Apollo 8 astronauts reading the first ten verses of Genesis as their space capsule orbited the moon. I can remember sitting in front of the black and white television in my pajamas with my two brothers. I was in first grade and enamored with the American space program.

50 years later, I am still amazed by what lies beyond Earth. The past few weeks, I have awakened early in the morning to see Venus brightly illuminating the pre-dawn sky. The sun brightly illuminating the sky. This morning, it was a reminder of what lies beyond.

Each time I see the moon, I marvel at the achievements of America’s space program – despite what a professional basketball player recently denied, men did reach the moon and return safely.

But today, I marvel at the photo and the possibilities that exist for our world. As Bill Anders, one of the three Apollo 8 astronauts, remarked,

“We came to explore the moon and what we discovered was the Earth,”

Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders

Anders wondered then — and now —

“This is not a very big place, why can’t we get along?”

APOLLO 8 ASTRONAUT BILL ANDERS

In 1968, Earth’s population a little more than 3 billion, today it’s more than twice that at 7.7 billion.

I suppose it begins with me, and YOU. We can get along and work together to make the world a better place. Merry Christmas. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one simple thing gesture to make the world a better place. A discovery of possibilities.

What will you discover today?