Tag: eclipse

Eclipse, Darkness, Apocalypse, and Light (4-8-24)

This is a special eclipse edition of the blog and is about the apocalypse, darkness, and light.

Today is eclipse day, and in Indiana we are fortunate enough to be in the path of totality.  Recently, my family attended a presentation about the eclipse.  During the session, we watched a video that discussed eclipses since ancient times.  The narrator shared that in the days of early civilizations, people were terrified of eclipses.  Once the sky went dark, these people believed it was the beginning of the apocalypse.  They had no idea that the darkness was fleeting and that the light would return. 

My kids were fascinated by this and wondered why people would feel this way.  I told them to imagine that they had no idea what an eclipse was.  I asked them to imagine that the same routine of the sun rising and then setting had occurred over and over and over again.  Then, one day something different happens.  It’s dark when it should be light, and you don’t know how long the darkness will last.  Wouldn’t that be scary?  They agreed it would be.

What does this have to do with life?  I don’t know about you, but my life isn’t always bright and happy all the time.  Sometimes there are periods of darkness.  There are periods of trials, tribulations, sadness, and frustration.  When these periods first start encroaching on light, joy, and happiness, it can feel like it’s going to be that way forever.  It can feel like it’s your own personal apocalypse, the beginning of the end of things.  It can feel like you’ll be stuck in that shadow forever.  However, the darkness is fleeting.  The light is there.  The light is always there.  Sometimes, we just have to be able to make it through the darkness, so we can embrace the light again.

The challenge: Will you remember that the darkness is fleeting?  Will you remember that the light is still there?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Eclipses and Sunshine (8-21-17)

I woke up this morning and wanted to share a thought about the eclipse and the sun shining.  #timely 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months you are probably aware of the fact that today the moon will pass between the earth and the sun creating a solar eclipse.  Depending on where you are, there are some areas of the world that will be in total darkness and there will be some areas of the world that will witness a partial eclipse.

Recently we tried to explain this phenomenon to my daughters.  Alice wanted to know why it would be dark during the day time.  She asked why the sun wouldn’t be shining.  We explained to her that the sun is shining, and in fact the sun is always shining.  In this case, it will be dark because something will block the light and cast a shadow.  We also explained that even during night the sun is still shining, it’s just our part of the earth has turned its back to the sun at that point.

What does this have to do with anything?  Sometimes life sucks.  Sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the dark gloomy clouds or the shade that some event can throw our way.  It could be something that happened at work, something that is going on at home, or something else.  It doesn’t always take much to eclipse our sun and leave us with darkness.  Even if you are in darkness it doesn’t mean the light is gone.  It doesn’t mean the light has stopped shining.  The light might just be blocked, and hopefully with your strength and the strength of the people who care about you, you can outlast a period of time in the shadows and eventually find warmth again.

The only other thing I’d ask you to consider is to keep getting your shine on.  You never know how far your light reaches our who needs your light on any given day.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry