Stardate 03.16.2026
My wife sent me a text message while I was at my day job.
A blizzard is headed our way. Please come home early.
The last time she warned me about weather, I ended up crossing the double yellow line two miles from home during a major snowstorm and got t-boned by an oncoming van traveling 50 miles per hour.
Her text messages carry weight.
The only complication this time was that I was scheduled for the closing shift. Responsibility and caution were having a quiet conversation in my mind.
Earlier that same day something beautiful had unfolded at my desk.
Helen M. Swearson stopped by to get a name badge. At that exact moment I was helping two new members sign up. I didn’t know it yet, but they were both educators.
As Helen approached, I reached into my desk and pulled out a proof copy of Where in the World is Wilson? — the coloring book she illustrated.
I opened it to the tribute page.
It was the first time Helen had seen it.
Her reaction was immediate. Her face lit up. The glow in her eyes said more than words ever could.
The two new members standing nearby leaned in, curious about what was happening. Their curiosity was contagious, so I handed them the second proof copy and explained that they were the first people outside our circle to see the coloring book that will soon be shared with patients at our local children’s hospital.
That’s when I learned they were teachers.
One teaches first grade. The other teaches fifth grade.
They flipped through the pages carefully, the way educators do when they are imagining a child holding something in their hands.
Then one of them said something that made my heart smile:
“This will go over well with kids.”
For a moment, time slowed down.
Helen stood there glowing as she watched two educators react to the work she poured her heart into. It was a quiet but powerful moment — the kind you don’t plan and can’t manufacture.
Just a simple intersection of people, purpose, and timing.
Those moments are gifts.
Tonight I’ll host a couple of livestreams for friends and family to share the backstory of how Wilson entered my life. Tomorrow, if everything continues according to plan, the coloring book will go live on Amazon.
We’re waiting on the final green light.
In aviation terms, we are simply holding the runway.
Engines ready.
Systems checked.
Eyes on the horizon.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day, which feels like the perfect day to welcome a little Irish-spirited volleyball named Wilson into the world.
Before that moment arrives, I just want to say thank you.
To my friends.
To my family.
To the quiet supporters who believed in this story when it was just an idea.
Your encouragement helped carry this project to the runway.
As always, I’m reminded of the gentle wisdom found in Scripture:
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9
Sometimes the harvest arrives in surprising ways.
A glowing illustrator.
Two curious teachers.
A children’s coloring book preparing for its first flight.
Join me here:
https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
Captain’s Addendum
Bones leaned back and crossed his arms.
“Spock, I’m a doctor, not a runway controller. But even I know you don’t rush a launch.”
Spock raised an eyebrow.
“Indeed, Doctor. The most successful missions often begin with patience.”
I smiled at both of them.
Sometimes life teaches us that the most meaningful moments happen not during the launch itself, but while we are quietly waiting on the runway — grateful for everyone who helped us get there.
🖖
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