As I was snapping photos of the Chalk Art drawn by students from high schools across Southern Illinois there was a young man about college age who was merrily skipping between the masterpieces and photographing each. I had not seen anyone skip in a long time.

A total solar eclipse is a reason to skip. This is a special time. Our somewhat sleepy city is alive with people concerts and vendors of all sorts. Cannabis is legal in the Land Of Lincoln and it might aid in the skipping.

Help and hope come from mysterious places. We are a species who are addicted to extremes. Some of us are totally focused on what our minister and church believe and our literal interpretation of every word of the Bible… except those that we do not like. Some of us are extremely dedicated to science and what it tells us. Jesus is like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Some of us seek to understand the infinite.

Solar Eclipse will mean different things to different people. It will be a harbinger of disaster for many. It will be a beautiful event for others. It will be a reality check for some that we live in a riddle wrapped in an enigma.

As we peer into space and the event of a lifetime we see ourselves looking back. We are constructed from atoms and atoms do not die. We are looking at where we came from and pondering the way back.