Space Jam

           My grandchildren’s world is filled with music. Almost every one of their toys sings, talks, or plays a melody. Olivia has a brightly colored remote control toy that loudly sings, “I’ve got a remote and I’m ready to roll; making things happen ‘cause I’m in control.” In control they are! We jump at their command and race to meet their needs. And if you see me dashing across the room, it’s probably to silence on of Adeline’s toys which sprang to life when the dog bumped into it.

            I don’t run quite as fast as I did when I was younger and shared a room with my sister Kay. We would sometimes watch an episode of Perry Mason on the little black and white television in our room. Because the theme music scared us, we would take turns jumping out of bed at the end of the show and try to turn off the television before the music started. Yes, I’m old enough to have lived in the days when televisions did not have remote controls, received stations you could count on one hand, and were more expensive if the picture was in color.

            When my Mom was a child, she didn’t even have a television in her room. Or a lamp. Or a fan. She grew up without electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing. If chicken was on the menu for supper, it was her sister Martha’s job to go in the yard to catch, kill, and clean one before it was cooked. My Mom now views photos of her great-grandchildren on her phone’s Instagram. Oh, how times have changed.

            But some things haven’t really changed, they are just gradually discovered. Take space, for example. In the Perseus cluster of galaxies, about 250 million light years from Earth, is a giant black hole that hums. You can’t hear it, so you’ll just have to trust the scientists at NASA. The black hole sound translates to B flat and is 57 octaves below middle C,  too low to be picked up by the human ear.

            Despite the difference in our ages and experiences, throughout all of our lives, we’ve slept under the stars which have their own space jam. I don’t hear it, but I believe it’s the Heavens declaring the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1) Our world is filled with music.

Ronny may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com