Lucky Thirteen

Connie Lakey Martin

The New Year means new calendars. It’s always a challenge to find just the right one for my desk, one with inspiring photos or quotes. I seriously need all the inspiration and motivation possible. I like to go ahead and mark birthdays for the whole year. So flipping through 2026, I discovered a total of three Friday 13ths. I’m not superstitious, but why push your luck, right? Once upon a time, I would pause before planning a trip on any day numbered 13. But that was the old me, before I did a deep dive into lucky 13.

Consider Apollo 13. On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 launched at 13:00 hours. Space travel had become an ordinary occurrence. We had already been to the moon and back twice. But when Apollo 13 launched, live broadcasts to earth from inside the spacecraft were replaced with soap operas. No one seemed interested. That is, until Mission Control asked Apollo 13 Pilot Jack Swigert to stir the oxygen and the astronauts heard a large bang! Then began the collective efforts of forced, untested acts under extreme pressure by the crew, flight controllers and support personnel to turn the spaceship around and come back to earth. The world held its breath when reentry lasted much longer than expected. Thankfully, Apollo 13 became known as NASA’s finest hour and most successful failure! If you’ve never watched the movie, you should. You will see ordinary humans tested and turned into real heroes.

And to appreciate how fragile life is, watch the movie Thirteen Days. For 13 days in October 1962, the world came close to the brink of nuclear war when President John Kennedy fought to deter the Soviets from placing nuclear weapons on Cuba. I was 11 years old and recall school drills to duck and cover, as if this would have made any difference in a nuclear attack! Thankfully, the crisis ended, but we should remind ourselves those 13 days led us to pray for our leaders and our homeland. Can we now pray even one day for our divided country?

The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery. The U.S. flag has 13 red and white stripes. Age 13 turns a child into a teenager. Who doesn’t love a Baker’s Dozen donuts?

Jesus selected 12 disciples, but actually there were 13. After Judas betrayed Jesus and hung himself, the apostles voted in one more disciple, Mathias. One of the most beautiful chapters in The Bible is I Corinthians, Chapter 13. Ironically, it has 13 verses. And in the 13th verse, Paul tells us what is the greatest thing in life. I’m not going to tell you. Read it. Remember it. Then pass it on.

My hometown is Chesapeake, Virginia. From South Carolina, I drive north I-95 six hours, turn east Highway 58 travel two hours, then one last hour take Highway 13. My parents are gone now and the home I grew up in has sold. But I still feel my car turn off Highway 13, go two blocks, turn right and stop at the end of the street where I lived many happy, lucky years.

Lucky is as lucky feels. I feel lucky to be alive, still counting! Lucky me….

Keep heart!
~Connie

Friday, March 13, 2026