This past April 7th, my sister and I drove from the Twin Cities to Decatur, Illinois, where we would spend the night before driving three hours south to our final destination: Carbondale! Under normal circumstances, Carbondale, Illinois, wouldn’t have been on either of our bucket lists. But something truly AMAZING was about to take place – a total solar eclipse – and Carbondale was in the path of totality!
“Be careful of the company you keep.” These may not have been the exact words I heard from my parents as I was growing up, but the message was clear. And I’m sure I passed the same idea on to my sons. Who we choose to associate with can make a profound difference in our lives.
Millions of people will be looking up today as a total solar eclipse crosses North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This phenomenon, which happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun, will cause the sky to darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
The temptation to turn away from some of the heartbreaking images we see day after day is understandable. But God calls us to open our eyes not only to the beauty and goodness in the world, but to the pain and suffering, as well. Only when we are aware of our neighbor’s plight can we do whatever is in our power to help alleviate it.
Today is Ash Wednesday. And in case you need reminding, today is also Valentine’s Day. It’s not often these two observances coincide. It happened just three times in the 1900’s, and the same will be true of this century. They converged in 2018 and will fall on the same day again in 2029. And that will be it until the next century.