Be Amazed

Be Amazed

By Tammy Townsend Denny, TI Executive Director

My husband and I traveled to rural Indiana on Monday to watch the solar eclipse. In a small city park in a tiny middle-of-nowhere town, we joined with others who had journeyed from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the house down the street to gaze at the sun and the moon’s performance.

At the moment of totality, when the moon completely covered the sun, we removed our protective eclipse glasses and gazed at the fiery black disk above us (totality is the only time it is safe to look at the eclipse without eye protection). My husband was deeply moved by seeing the power and beauty of the sun’s corona. For me, the moment was punctuated by the change in light and temperature. The horizon emitted a sunset-like glow in all directions. Streetlights turned on. Stars appeared in the sky. The air temperature dropped dramatically. The light, as we are accustomed to experiencing it, morphed into a strangeness I don’t quite have words to describe. The compass by which we orient our lives was gone for three minutes. 

As spectacular as a total solar eclipse is, what has stuck with me are all the images I have seen on social media of people looking skyward from rooftops, parking lots, backyards, and fields. For just a moment, people stepped outside and looked up in awe and wonder.

We paused. We looked up. And we were amazed.

I keep wondering if maybe the eclipse was an invitation from God, a reminder to pause, look up, and be amazed.

---