(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Spring 2025 Issue #115)
Canticle of the Creatures Reflections – Part 1 pg 6
Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.
Sir Brother Sun
by Vickie Klick, OFS
Chair, NAFRA Centenary Task Force
I have been blessed to be present for three total solar eclipses. The first, in 1970 when I was about twelve, was underwhelming, as it was overcast in Valdosta, GA, where my family and many others went to, from Florida, to see the eclipse. I remember the darkness of totality shooting up rapidly from the horizon, but that was the extent of it.
In 2017, I had a commitment on the day of the eclipse, but my husband encouraged me to change my plans and go. My brother’s home was in the path of totality, so at the last minute I drove down and couch-surfed at their home. We watched the eclipse from their driveway. It got darker…and cooler…and then we saw the corona. Amazing!
While my husband was kind enough to encourage me to see that eclipse, he couldn’t go himself, as it was the first day of the fall semester. I was determined that it would be different in 2024. This was no last-minute adventure! I got photography advice and practiced with the nearly opaque solar filter. Through the generosity of a college friend, we had a place to stay in the totality zone in Indiana. We were also blessed with beautiful weather.
When I think about these events, I remember the amazing natural wonder of the eclipse and seeing the sun’s corona, but each one of these events was a time of human togetherness and shared experience. That first eclipse at the rest area on I-75 was shared with my parents and brother as well as many others crowded there. The second was a great time with my brother’s family. The trip home in 2017 was another shared experience, with bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-57 once I got back into Illinois, and restaurants that had basically been picked clean of food. It was impressive that so many people had come to see this natural wonder.
We did learn from those past experiences for 2024 (including staying over until the next day). It was special to share it with my husband AND with our close friend from college. I think St. Francis would approve the idea of praising the glory of God’s creation with family, friends, and anyone else in the vicinity!
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