A hazy breeze swept over the rooftops as smoke from the space shuttle launch lingered for miles. The vibrations which penetrated the air and rippled on the skins and hearts of those watching finally eased away like the foam from a crashing wave vanishes from the shore. Anxious eyes continued to stare upward, searching for a promise that the space craft would return while small fingers clenched the hands of family standing by.
It is on these days—the days when astronauts’ families gather to watch them soar into space—that Annie (Lyons ’81) Williams dedicates her heart, soul and mind to prayer. On launch day, she stands on the Launch Control Center roof at the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Fla. and prays for the fathers, mothers, and children she stands with as they watch their loved ones take off. Annie prays that God would give them peace and comfort during the exciting, yet stressful, time. 