INDIANAPOLIS (RNS) On the eve of my father’s 95th birthday, I tallied the changes he has seen since he entered this world in 1916. Halfway through reading it at a celebration, I paused and said, “This list is exhausting.”

Dad’s lifetime has seen:

The end of World War I.

Revolutions in Russia and China.

The sun setting on the British Empire.

Popular embrace of the automobile, telephone, air travel.

Manic stock market speculation leading to a crash, and the resulting Great Depression.

The rise (and fall) of fascism in Germany, Italy and Japan.

The slaughter of Jews, Russians and Chinese by totalitarian regimes.

World War II and the new face of warfare, culminating in attacks on civilian populations, firebombing and atomic bombs.

Racial integration of the military, schools, the workforce, and now an entire society.

The GI Bill and expansion of college education.

The Marshall Plan and a bold decision to rebuild vanquished enemies, rather than punish them.

A rural society migrating to cities and sprawling suburbs.

Restlessness among women in those suburban homes and their movement into the workforce.

The Cold War and permanent militarization of America.

Sustained prosperity, built on an industrial economy and expansion of the middle class.

Emergence of a service economy built on information and technology, and a recent shrinking of the middle class.

Decline of American cities as measured by crime, racial unrest and deteriorating public schools.

The assassinations of President Kennedy, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, and attempted assassinations of other presidents.

Wars without victory in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East.

Corruption in the White House and the resignation of President Nixon.

Expansion of interstate highways.

Explorations in space, culminating in landings on the moon and probes of distant planets.

Growing tolerance of homosexuality and interracial marriage.

Terrorist attacks on American soil.

Recessions and almost another depression.

The emergence of a global economy, centered in Asia.

The rise and fall of network television.

The rise and fall of newspapers.

The rise and fall of mainline Protestantism.

The rise and fall of industrial cities.

The rise and fall of Big Telephone, Big Steel, Big Tobacco and the Big Three automakers.

Indianapolis race cars going from 92 mph to 227 mph on the same oval track.

Computers going from room size to desktop size to marvels like Apple’s iPad.

Emergence of the Internet.

Televisions going from small and grainy to 52-inch screens and vivid color.

Through these years, some things have remained constant.

The Chicago Cubs still cannot win, Republicans and Democrats still cannot get along, farmers still complain about the weather.

The United States remains a free, open and tolerant society grounded in law and sacrifice.

The love of a good partner can still make life worth living. And children — especially this one — still give thanks for the gifts of life, values, faith and endurance.

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus” and founder of the Church Wellness Project. His website is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com. Follow Tom on Twitter (at)tomehrich.)