A Historical April
“Just Thinking"
I know it’s a cliché, but the older I get, the faster time seems to move. Only now do I fully understand the life lessons my parents tried to teach when I complained about being bored as a child. I remember watching the classroom clock crawl forward, where seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours, each passing moment weighed down by the impatience of my youth.
Time, of course, doesn’t slow down for anyone. Or, as Dr. Seuss so perfectly put it, “How did it get so late so soon?” It feels like we were just celebrating the holidays, Christmas blending into the New Year and yet here we are with the first quarter already in the rearview mirror. Winter has quietly slipped away, giving way to spring, which arrived with warm and beautiful days. We celebrated Easter just last weekend and are now enjoying the longer evenings that come with Daylight Saving Time, how quickly the milestones pass.
As April unfolds, several landmark moments have already emerged, events that will be remembered for their lasting impact. March Madness, as it so often does, delivered a thrilling mix of upsets, Cinderella stories, and dramatic finishes that captivated fans nationwide. Michigan’s men’s basketball team won its first championship in 37 years, which was the first in the school’s history. The Michigan program is famously remembered for its 1992 and 1993 teams featuring the Fab Five. In 1992, they made history by starting five freshmen and reaching the national championship game, ultimately falling to Duke. The following year, they returned to the title game, only to come up short against North Carolina. All vivid memories and reminders of passing time.
On the women’s side, the UCLA Bruins dominated the field, powering their way to the first NCAA Championship in program history. While UCLA did capture a national title in 1978 during the AIAW era, the NCAA did not begin sponsoring the women’s tournament until 1982. The Bruins overcame its lone early‑season loss to Texas in November, they bounced back strong, storming through their first season in the Big Ten by sweeping both the regular‑season and conference tournament titles. They closed out the year with an incredible 37–1 record. UCLA’s men’s program boasts 11 national championships, with the women claiming their long‑awaited NCAA crown, this stands as a milestone and firmly cements their place in the university’s basketball history.
The historic and thrilling launch of Artemis II marks NASA’s long‑awaited return to lunar exploration and a new chapter in human spaceflight. The launch and its journey stirred memories of the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, when we all watched in awe on our black and white television sets as astronauts first ventured to the Moon. This 10‑day mission carried four astronauts on a lunar flyby, becoming the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. As these brave explorers complete their journey and return to Earth today, April 10, we offer prayers for their safe return.
The ongoing conflict in Iran, along with the recently negotiated two‑week ceasefire, brings back memories of 1978, when the Shah was overthrown and forced into exile. While the ultimate outcome remains uncertain, the moment itself is undeniably historic. Much like my memories of 1978, this period will be remembered, discussed, and studied by future generations who will look back on April 2026 for its historical impact.
As I sit here tonight, putting my thoughts on time down in print, my son Chris and his wife Kylee are at Kaiser Hospital in Walnut Creek, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their baby girl. One year ago, tonight, my son Charlie and his wife Karissa were at Kaiser Hospital in Walnut Creek, awaiting the birth of their baby girl. Life has a way of unfolding through its twists and turns, the possibility that our granddaughter Kolby is likely to be born on April 10th, the first birthday of her cousin Bella, feels both remarkable and poetic. Another historic moment for our family with the promise of many joyful celebrations and shared birthdays in the years to come.
Time marches on. History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.
Let me know what you think.
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