Who’s The Author?
With weeks of anticipation and not knowing what to expect the day was finally here. It was Monday, August 21, 2017. It was a day like no other that I have experienced in my life, but I enjoyed it immensely. It was the day of the total solar eclipse.
We live in South Carolina so we were in the path of totality…what a cool word that you hardly ever use other than during an eclipse. I will probably use the word “totality” or some form of it totally more than necessary in this post….get it “totally?”
Of course, you have to wear those totally stylish eclipse sunglasses if you want the full effect of the experience. I read that they had to be ISO certified and that not all of them were safe. Fortunately, when I went for my annual eye check up at my Optometrist’s office they were selling them there. I thought this would be a great place to buy them and be protected so I bought several pairs to give out to family members.
My Mama and Me
It was a big deal in the small town that I live in and many traveled to our city just for the viewing. I had heard that all of our hotels were booked and some people were renting out their land to visitors who were camping. There were viewing parties, festivals, and concerts planned all over our town and surrounding cities.
My brother had told me that he would be in town for the viewing, so I invited my family over to my house for our own small viewing get together. The weekend before the eclipse I was very sick both days so I didn’t even think about making plans to provide any kind of food, snacks or anything when everyone was here. I wasn’t even sure I was going to feel like hosting any kind of serotinal (I just learned a new word. It means late summer) event.
But when the day came and I was watching the news and I saw the eclipse in Oregon, my excitement grew and grew even though I was still in a lot of pain. As I discussed with my brother while he was here, one of the best ways to not concentrate on your pain is to keep your mind focused on other things.
As it turned out when my family came to the house they also brought one of our long-time family friends. We decided to set up camp in my front yard. My sister had brought several chairs, our friend had prepared his binocular eclipse viewer, and I provided some bug spray and sunscreen. We were all set and had plenty of time to socialize. I showed one of my recent sunset pictures to everyone. When I showed it to our friend he said: “Who’s The Author?” I said, “Our Lord and Savior of course!”
Our friend and his homemade binocular eclipse viewer
The beautiful sunset
The whole experience of the eclipse was totally cool and weird all at the same time. It was a very special time with my family. We were able to get together in the middle of the day in my front yard with our funny hats and glasses on waiting for the brilliant sunshine of the day to turn into night in mere minutes before our very eyes.
As it started getting darker my sister called her husband, I prepared my camera and my Mama continued to give us a countdown to the totality. For me, it was a feeling of adventure, apprehension, and awe. When it was totally dark it was so amazing. It was as if the world we knew had completely changed. The crickets started chirping, the citronella candles were glowing and it was dark. It was night-time for two minutes that day…a day that I will cherish for many reasons.
I completely enjoyed spending those couple of historical hours with my family and our friend. I was awestruck at the totally marvelous world that God created and so grateful that I had the chance to share this experience of a lifetime with loved ones.
It reminded me of those words that were asked earlier “Who’s the Author?” Only our incredible creator could come up with something so totally marvelous! I continued to think about those words and asked myself “Who’s the Author” of my life. Not only who created it but who is writing the words to my daily life? Who is writing the words to your daily life?
Am I careful not to use the words Satan wants me to use? Do I lash out at my most treasured loved ones because I am frustrated and in pain? Do I make time to study the words of my Savior so that I will know how to live my life? Or do I just live each day, each month, each year and take it all for granted?
I’m convinced that my life was created for more than just going through the motions. I know that the Lord wants me to make each day count. It may only be in the smallest way some days because of my limited energy and medical issues. It may be praying for others when I am having a bad day. It may be reaching out to a larger audience on my good days like today but I know who’s the author of my life! Do you? Let me know what do you do to make your life count each day.
