His face reflects Sunshine and the beauty of the Soul that lies within.
To look upon the countenance of Damon Musselman is always to be shocked by what you see on this sturdy man who stands more than 6 feet tall: true humility, gentleness and the reflection of a truly kind soul!
As long as I've known Damon while attending Unity in Palo Alto, I'm often puzzled as to why I'm shocked by his presence every time I run into him.Then, it dawned on me: it's the same glare I get when the sun shines too brightly on a weekday morning and I'm not yet "awake!"
I guess I simply have become so jaded by happenings in the world that the rarity of truly seeing the reflection of goodness and gentleness in another human is startling.
I accept that.
I've also accepted the fact that Damon defies the slots that we put men who are so successful in their earthly roles; he truly lacks the huge ego that comes with that.
I've accepted the fact that this fully grown man can state without shame or apology: "God is in charge" in all areas of his life!
"In all areas of my life," Damon says,
"knowing that God is in charge cuts down on my anxieties considerably, whatever the situation. It's hard to be nervous or fearful when you remember that an omniscient, omnipresent being, who by DEFINITION is Love, has your back."
The lack of ego, the sheer simplicity of his statement that "God is my designer, engineer, teacher and loving parent all rolled into one" sums up the joy of knowing Damon Musselman.
He learned to fly in the 1990s. But he was "flying" way before that.
His father, Ron, whom I'd met even before meeting Damon, and his mom, instilled in him a love for God.
He is one of the few privileged individuals to have learned at age 13, when he first began attending a Unity Church, that the "spirit of God is within you!" That is the empowerment that allowed him to know without a doubt that he can be and do all that he wished while he lived and walked the Earth.
Damon set out to do that.
A trained aerospace engineer with a bachelor's degree in the field from San Jose State University, Damon spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force. After that, he spent 13 years in the military and commercial aerospace industry, working in spacecraft operations.
Today Damon is seeking new avenues in which to discover and put into practice his philosophy towards life, "God has my back." His current "gig," he says, "places me in a position to save lives while making a good living at the same time."
Ironic as it may seem to those of us on the outside, Damon's love for Science when he was growing up helped him truly understand God and brought him closer to the Divine.
"Through ***Unity, I began to learn about the power of unconditional love, and saw Unity Principles reflected in the world around me through the Science I grew up loving.
"When you've studied Physics, Astronomy, Mathematics, et al, as I did, and have seen what a neat, orderly place the Universe really is, the phrase 'Divine Order' has a bit more power behind it.
"I honestly cannot imagine the trajectory of my life without what I have learned...and am STILL learning....in Unity."
Even before he got to Unity, though, Damon had profound God moments. Maybe, his early training in traditional Protestant Christianity, mostly Methodist and Presbyterian, had some impact.
At age 9, Damon said he had one of several memorable "God" moments.
"I was visiting Yosemite for the first time, and we were at Glacier Point, above 4000' above Yosemite Valley below, when I saw a thunderstorm move along the mountain ridges. It was moving swiftly and the lightning strikes seemed to dance along the ridge.
"It was so breathtakingly beautiful, I was awestruck, and overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude that I was there to see it. I didn't have the experience then to realize it...but it was definitely a religious experience."
But the biggest God moment for Damon came in his late teens, when he began to study the sciences in earnest.
"I saw for myself the order of the Universe expressed in the laws of Physics," Damon says. "It struck me that the Universe is WAY too orderly to have been a cosmic accident, as some would have us believe. That order imples design, and design implies a designer, which I shall call 'God!'"
These beautiful childhood experiences have ingrained in Damon a will to make his two sons, Ryan, 12, and Colin, 8, become "better people than I am."
Not surprising for someone who says that his life's purpose, he believes, is to "learn and experience as much as I can and pass that on to others."
He says that he and his wife, Christine, let the boys know that "whatever they do, there is nothing that will make us stop loving them. Beyond that, we try to set the best example we can for them by being the best we know how to be."
This assurance of love is further instilled by the many family trips they take together, "visiting places new and familiar." They live in Fremont.
Damon finds "joy" in being of service to others and so sings in the choir at Unity Palo Alto and taught himself how to play the guitar, sharing this talent with others, too.
What a man....what a JOY, you are, Damon Musselman! Keep on spreading the LOVE! Continue to blind us with your "SUNSHINE"!
Namaste',
Che'
***[What IS Unity? "Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual's right to choose a spiritual path."]
