I couldn’t be happier as Spring and April are now both upon us, and to boot it’s a Solar Eclipse – the second one in seven years in North America! On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.
Safety is the number one priority when viewing a total solar eclipse. Be sure you’re familiar with when you need to wear specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing by reviewing the guidelines recommended.
It’s so interesting how many people truly spend months figuring out where and how to witness this special event. On April 8th, the duration of totality will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, almost double that of The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. The 2017 total solar eclipse was witnessed by about 20 million people from Oregon to South Carolina, and the upcoming 2024 Great American Eclipse is sure to be witnessed by many millions more.
Because of what they saw — the exquisite beauty of the Sun’s corona hanging in the suddenly darkened sky — many millions more will know that a total solar eclipse is something truly worth seeing. In the US, totality will begin in Texas at 1:27 pm CDT and will end in Maine at 3:35 pm EDT on April 8, 2024. You have a few days to figure out how you can get to any of these places and enjoy this very cool special event.
On another note, here’s hoping you all had a wonderful Easter (while Passover is April 22nd). I’m betting that many kids did the family traditions of painting eggs, going on an Easter egg hunt, looking for candy, etc.
For our Jewish friends, Passover has been the center of answering four key questions. Of course, Aunt Gloria and Grandpa Irving are enjoying the young ones even if not in person the old-fashioned way – they can connect through the Internet, FaceTime, texts, phone calls, etc. With so much going on, I have no doubt the importance of all these traditions are important to many, especially if you still have good memories in your heart for both of these important holidays.
There are so many cultures that capture wonderful, precious, and sacred words. The story-telling ritual has existed for centuries in native communities as part of a sacred oral history. The “Grandmother Storyteller” is a universal figure who would gather their grandchildren, and others, to tell stories. The stories included myths, legends, traditions, ancestors, and the wisdom of the people.
I’m quite sure that at least some of you have remembered the stories about your family that have been passed down from your grandmother to your mother, and down to you. Or maybe it was your grandfather or uncle or aunt who told you the stories. Perhaps a cousin. In any event, if these kinds of stories were something we were not interested in, then there would not be places today like Ancestry.com.
Of course, we can go back in time and remember our youth’s expressions and songs. We realize that during this day and age, how important those expressions and songs of the past remain in our hearts.
On another note, given the painful loss of our loved ones who have crossed over, the need to connect to them seems almost monumental to our souls’ yearnings and needs. It’s nice to remember how we hugged those who were here with us, physically, but now have gone. Those happy memories echo in our minds.
In writing “Everything Happens for a Reason,” we so often don’t understand, the reasons are unclear as to the “big why.” However, the reasons will usually be revealed in time.
Similarly, the stories that are passed down from grandmothers and others may bring tears to your eyes, but those stories will also put a happy smile on your face because those stories warm your heart. Tears of joy, as they say.
My heart of Love goes out to everyone whose heart is hurting. Keep in mind, your loved ones are just a thought away. Love keeps your heart open and allows you to connect to those who have passed over.
I too, with all these April showers look forward to watching nature do her thing in making everything green, with so many wonderful colors of those spring flowers!
As always, I’m looking forward to many events coming up including two small group readings this month (April 9th and April 25th) as well as an online gallery with fellow Medium Cheryl Murphy on April 11th.
Warmly,
Suzane
