The great “American” eclipse of 2017. A complete solar eclipse was going to pass right in front of our protected eyes. We lived in the path of totality. Weeks of hype, excitement and anticipation. We knew it was coming. We were told hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the United States and other countries were coming to witness this natural phenomenon. Here in our small capital city, Salem, Oregon, we were anticipating an additional 135,000 people. Madras, in the central part of Oregon, with a population of only 6,700 was awaiting the onslaught of an additional 100,000 guests. There were concerns of monumental traffic delays, gas shortages, cell tower interruptions. Nearly doomsday-type hype, through the media, began to invade our normally quiet portion of the Pacific Northwest.
Unexpectedly, but nice for our local population, in the days prior to the eclipse, the only traffic congestion was coming into Madras. This was highly anticipated considering the size of the town and the two-lane road. But here in Salem, barely a ripple in the vehicle travel routes. We were surprised, but happily so. However, once the big event was over, it was nightmare on the interstate as guests began to leave and head to points north and south. What is normally a one-hour drive to Portland, ended up being nearly 8 hours for some. The media was advising visitors to delay their departure until the following day if possible. People missed flights and business meetings, being unable to travel more than a mile or two in an hour. It was a massive inconvenience to so many. But rarely a complaint was voiced. I heard only one man interviewed on the news lamenting that traffic engineers could have done better anticipating the exodus. He should have thought of the inevitable crowds before coming. Overall and for the most part, people waited quietly as they attempted to get out of town. The awesomeness and impressiveness of the solar eclipse was worth all of the delays. No one regretted coming. And it was an event well worth seeing.
It was touted as a once in a lifetime experience. I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. Until I experienced it. It definitely was!! We were told what to expect but we had no idea of the feelings and emotions it would invoke. As we began to “watch” the eclipse which began a good hour before totality, we saw a sliver of darkness begin to overtake the top right side of the sun. Gradually, it increased and passed over that immensely bright orb in the sky. Over the next hour we watched and waited. We had a brunch with family and friends, laughing and enjoying the moment, taking photos of us watching the sky with our funny-looking eclipse glasses. We experimented putting our eclipse glass filter over our iPhone cameras to take photos. Seeing the reflections from the sun and moon over the ground, sides of the house and rooftops of cars, we discovered amazing crescents developing from the shadows. It was a celestial type of beauty. Naturally, we did the old school trick of the cardboard with the hole in the middle to view the crescent on another sheet of paper, without using glasses.
At T-minus one minute, all eyes were glued to the fading sun. It was almost dusk-like, not dark, but subdued lighting. The temperature dropped as we were told it would, but we had been disbelieving. Several of us reached for our sweaters. Then as the last sliver of light was overtaken by the moon, suddenly we were plunged into darkness! It was unbelievable, stunning! We were able to remove our glasses to view the totality of the eclipse and it was beyond awesome! Darkness as if it were late night and an eery quiet. The birds were no longer singing. One lamp left on in a nearby house beamed forth as if midnight. We stared then at the blocked sun with the moon’s dark face and the solar flares peeping out. Again, words cannot adequately express what we saw and even felt. It was literally “out of this world”. Staring, knowing it would only last about 2 minutes, and then the first sliver of golden light began to peep through from that upper right corner. Someone yelled, “On with the glasses!” Abruptly, as if a switch was turned on, we were once again engulfed in sunlight and it was daytime. We all stared at one another like we’d just stepped out of the Twilight Zone. With an ever-growing crescent of light as the moon resumed it passage eastward, it was so bright. Amazing how far reaching a fragment of that sunlight achieves.
Understanding dawned on us that the totality of the eclipse was over, and there was a general feeling we had just experience that “once in a lifetime” astronomical event and we were pumped with excitement! It was so worth it! All the hype! All the warnings and what to expect overshadowed by the sheer awesomeness of those two orbs in the heavens meeting as one. I don’t think any of us right then and there would have traded the experience for anything!
The moon continued to move past the sun for the next hour or so, and we periodically checked it’s progress through our glasses. As we packed up belongings and cleaned up, there was a sense that together we lived a moment in life that may not come this way again anytime soon. It is a memory we shall all treasure, cherish and try to relive through the hundreds photos that would flood the internet.
As I reflected back on what I saw, I am reminded that no amount of darkness could completely obliterate the glow from that beacon of light and heat which we take for granted day after day. Even with the blackness surrounding us, looking up at the eclipsed sun, there was still a glow of solar flares surrounding the outside of the dark moon. As hard as it tried, the moon could not eclipse the sun entirely. There was still a measure of light even if it was far enough away from earth to shine down. I am reminded that no matter how dark our world seems to be at any given time, there is a Light that cannot be put out. Physical still reflects the spiritual.
Jesus is the Light of the world and He cannot be put out, hid or obliterated. And He can always be found. He will always over take the darkness. And one day, my spiritual glasses will be removed and I will see the eternal glow of his shining face. I cannot wait for that supernatural event! And no amount of words will be able to describe that “forever-in-a-future-eternal-lifetime” experience!!
Unexpectedly, but nice for our local population, in the days prior to the eclipse, the only traffic congestion was coming into Madras. This was highly anticipated considering the size of the town and the two-lane road. But here in Salem, barely a ripple in the vehicle travel routes. We were surprised, but happily so. However, once the big event was over, it was nightmare on the interstate as guests began to leave and head to points north and south. What is normally a one-hour drive to Portland, ended up being nearly 8 hours for some. The media was advising visitors to delay their departure until the following day if possible. People missed flights and business meetings, being unable to travel more than a mile or two in an hour. It was a massive inconvenience to so many. But rarely a complaint was voiced. I heard only one man interviewed on the news lamenting that traffic engineers could have done better anticipating the exodus. He should have thought of the inevitable crowds before coming. Overall and for the most part, people waited quietly as they attempted to get out of town. The awesomeness and impressiveness of the solar eclipse was worth all of the delays. No one regretted coming. And it was an event well worth seeing.
It was touted as a once in a lifetime experience. I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration. Until I experienced it. It definitely was!! We were told what to expect but we had no idea of the feelings and emotions it would invoke. As we began to “watch” the eclipse which began a good hour before totality, we saw a sliver of darkness begin to overtake the top right side of the sun. Gradually, it increased and passed over that immensely bright orb in the sky. Over the next hour we watched and waited. We had a brunch with family and friends, laughing and enjoying the moment, taking photos of us watching the sky with our funny-looking eclipse glasses. We experimented putting our eclipse glass filter over our iPhone cameras to take photos. Seeing the reflections from the sun and moon over the ground, sides of the house and rooftops of cars, we discovered amazing crescents developing from the shadows. It was a celestial type of beauty. Naturally, we did the old school trick of the cardboard with the hole in the middle to view the crescent on another sheet of paper, without using glasses.
At T-minus one minute, all eyes were glued to the fading sun. It was almost dusk-like, not dark, but subdued lighting. The temperature dropped as we were told it would, but we had been disbelieving. Several of us reached for our sweaters. Then as the last sliver of light was overtaken by the moon, suddenly we were plunged into darkness! It was unbelievable, stunning! We were able to remove our glasses to view the totality of the eclipse and it was beyond awesome! Darkness as if it were late night and an eery quiet. The birds were no longer singing. One lamp left on in a nearby house beamed forth as if midnight. We stared then at the blocked sun with the moon’s dark face and the solar flares peeping out. Again, words cannot adequately express what we saw and even felt. It was literally “out of this world”. Staring, knowing it would only last about 2 minutes, and then the first sliver of golden light began to peep through from that upper right corner. Someone yelled, “On with the glasses!” Abruptly, as if a switch was turned on, we were once again engulfed in sunlight and it was daytime. We all stared at one another like we’d just stepped out of the Twilight Zone. With an ever-growing crescent of light as the moon resumed it passage eastward, it was so bright. Amazing how far reaching a fragment of that sunlight achieves.
Understanding dawned on us that the totality of the eclipse was over, and there was a general feeling we had just experience that “once in a lifetime” astronomical event and we were pumped with excitement! It was so worth it! All the hype! All the warnings and what to expect overshadowed by the sheer awesomeness of those two orbs in the heavens meeting as one. I don’t think any of us right then and there would have traded the experience for anything!
The moon continued to move past the sun for the next hour or so, and we periodically checked it’s progress through our glasses. As we packed up belongings and cleaned up, there was a sense that together we lived a moment in life that may not come this way again anytime soon. It is a memory we shall all treasure, cherish and try to relive through the hundreds photos that would flood the internet.
As I reflected back on what I saw, I am reminded that no amount of darkness could completely obliterate the glow from that beacon of light and heat which we take for granted day after day. Even with the blackness surrounding us, looking up at the eclipsed sun, there was still a glow of solar flares surrounding the outside of the dark moon. As hard as it tried, the moon could not eclipse the sun entirely. There was still a measure of light even if it was far enough away from earth to shine down. I am reminded that no matter how dark our world seems to be at any given time, there is a Light that cannot be put out. Physical still reflects the spiritual.
Jesus is the Light of the world and He cannot be put out, hid or obliterated. And He can always be found. He will always over take the darkness. And one day, my spiritual glasses will be removed and I will see the eternal glow of his shining face. I cannot wait for that supernatural event! And no amount of words will be able to describe that “forever-in-a-future-eternal-lifetime” experience!!
