Maggie was still digesting what had just happened. She was still shrouded in the darkness of the eclipse, but she was sweating. Did she really just see and hear what she thought?  Had she really felt the electricity through her veins, the unearthly power?  Her head was spinning, but she felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders; she suddenly felt lighter and confident that everything would work out after all.

Maggie was 34 years of age, widowed, out of work, and raising an 8-year-old daughter. She had been laid off from her IT networking role. The tech giant company had laid off hundreds, maybe thousands of workers across the U.S. and she happened to be one of them.  They gave her a healthy severance check and thanked her for her ten years of service, as if the check could make her feel better about it all. She felt like her world was upside down. Dean, her husband, was killed in a freak construction accident just one year prior. Yes, the company took care of her with a nice settlement, that she didn’t even ask for, but it wouldn’t last forever, and it couldn’t replace Dean. Her daughter, Allie, was acting out in school, apparently, she was bored with structured classes and started having outbursts, disrupting the class.  Maggie was trying to help Allie at home, but she was an emotional mess herself. She suspected that Allie was also missing Dean; he was the one that helped her with her homework and coached her soccer team. Allie was lost without him, and anger was her mechanism for dealing with the pain. Maggie tried to get her into counseling, but Allie just clammed up and wouldn’t talk about it.  Maggie prayed that Allie would start to deal with her grief, she tried to get Allie into youth group at church, but Allie hardly participated in the activities. To be honest, Maggie had lost hope and stopped paying attention at church; that is when they actually attended church. Lately, they hadn’t been going and she stopped answering her phone when worried friends from church called.

To top it all off, her car needed brakes, her house needed a new roof, and she needed a root canal. Everything seemed to be piling on at once. Maggie couldn’t remember the last time she had lunch with a friend, had a pedicure, or even went for a walk by herself. Her time was consumed with the house, Allie’s homework, soccer games, appointments, and the endless job search. With rejection after rejection, she felt like she would never find a job. She lost all of her confidence and her desire to do self-care.  She used to work-out and do yoga, she used to get regular haircuts and touch-ups to her color, she used to meet with girlfriends at least once a month.  Now she didn’t wear make-up and her hair routine was running a comb through it after she shampooed. Unless she was going for a job interview or church, her attire of choice was baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt. No wonder Allie was acting out; the vibes Maggie gave off were surely depressing. 

Maggie had just returned home from dropping Allie off at school after she missed the bus, and was in the kitchen, doing breakfast dishes, when she heard the news report about the upcoming solar eclipse. It was the second one since 2017 to occur in America, traveling diagonally across the United States. As she was watching, she picked up her coffee cup and started to walk toward the television. Her foot caught on the rug, and almost as if it were in slow motion, she could feel herself falling, coffee cup moving through the air before crashing in pieces on the ground, resulting in coffee splashing everywhere while simultaneously, she landed on her hands and knees, cracking her head on the side of the counter. Her eyes went black for a minute, and she could feel the egg-sized knot starting to form on her head. She stayed in that position for a minute, assessing the mess in front of her while feeling her head throb.  Something about that moment broke her and she started crying uncontrollably. She couldn’t help it, she just started to cry, a really ugly cry while sobbing with snot running down her chin.  “Why can’t I just get a break?!” she screamed to no one in particular.  “Why, God, why do you keep punishing me? Why won’t you just let me be and leave me alone?”  Maggie sat there for a minute and as if it was an audible voice, something popped into her head: “My ways are not your ways. You will find me when you seek me with all your heart.”   “Wow” Maggie said out loud, “I wonder what that was.”

She got up, grabbed an icepack from the freezer, and held it on her head for a few minutes, before grabbing some rags and a broom to clean the mess up.  She suddenly felt an urge to pray.  She hadn’t felt this way in a long time, but she felt like she would burst if she didn’t.  She went to the couch, sat down, put her head in her hands and started praying. She asked God, if he was really there, to show her the way, to help her get back on track, to help her with Allie, to help her find a job that would allow her to be present for Allie, but still provide an income for them, but mostly for her to believe. She asked for strength to make it through without Dean, to be a good role model for Allie, and to have the obedience to commit to church again.  She hadn’t realized how long she had been praying, but when she looked up, she noticed that it had been at least 30 minutes.  She shook her head and started to get up when she ‘heard’ something else in her head “Be at peace, I am the Way.”  Maggie did feel a sense of peace come over her and she decided she would shower and wear something other than her baggy sweatpants.  Heck, she might even break out the blow dryer and style her hair.

Maggie went to her home office and sat down to begin the search for jobs. As she logged onto the internet, she saw the Solar Eclipse article; the eclipse was just three days away, on Monday, and her town was one that would experience the totality of the eclipse. She was excited to see it, after-all, it would be another twenty years before another total eclipse, and it wouldn’t have the same trajectory, so she would only see a partial.  She began searching through the job boards and saving possibilities for which she would apply.  It was hard not to feel deflated, but for some reason, she was feeling something else. Hope.  She ended up applying to several remote positions that would complement her skills. She figured remote would be the best fit for her; it would allow her to be home when Allie was done with school and allow flexibility with soccer practice.

After she spent a few hours on applications, she called a couple of roofing companies for estimates and then made the appointment to get her brakes replaced. Her trusted mechanic, Tom, was a friend of Dean’s and she knew she would get quality work without getting gouged.  Lastly, she made that dreadful dental appointment that she had been procrastinating.  After what seemed like a fairly productive morning, she decided to clean the house and take something out of the freezer for dinner.  She knew she needed to go to the store for bread. “Man does not live by bread alone.” She thought. Ha! She wondered what this was all about and why she kept having bible verses pop in her head. She had memorized several verses years before when she and Dean used to go to bible study. After the accident, she stopped going and didn’t keep up with their church friends. They tried to reconnect on the rare occasion that she and Allie went to church, but it was just too painful for her. The memories of Dean hurt too much when they were around, so she shut them out. She stopped going to church, but tried to get Allie to go; why would she even think that was logical?  She stayed up late, drinking wine on Saturday and slept in on Sunday. She had put her bible away, after Dean died, and didn’t think about it; until now.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  That proverb was one of Dean’s favorites and it was what guided him in his friendships.  Maggie knew she needed to do better. She needed to be a better example to Allie, she needed to be a better friend, and she needed to be a better child of God, if he really existed. 

Allie came home from school on the bus and walked through the door looking tired.  “What’s up, Allie, why so tired?” Maggie asked.  “I don’t know, I think I slept bad, I kept dreaming and waking up.” Allie replied.  Maggie had spaghetti on the stovetop, it was one of Allie’s favorites. Allie looked excited that Maggie actually cooked something that wasn’t boxed or frozen. “When do we eat?” she asked.  Maggie told her they could eat whenever she wanted, but she wanted to have a discussion first.  Allie had a worried look on her face. “Don’t worry, it isn’t anything bad.” Maggie assured.

Maggie sat Allie down and told her what happened that morning.  Although Allie said she thought it was weird, she listened intently.  Maggie told Allie that she wanted to start being a better mom, to be more present, and to start going back to church. Allie groaned at the last part, but Maggie was stern. “This Sunday we need to go back to church. I need to reconnect with the friends that your dad and I made. We need to grieve; both of us. I’m serious Allie, I miss your dad terribly and I know you do too. He was a great father and a great husband. He was also a great Christian to you. He would not want us to backslide this way. He would want us to feel our emotions, but still get on with life. You know that’s true; I know you are only 8 years old, but you are wise for your age.”  Allie just looked up at her mom with tears in her eyes and shook her head in affirmation.  The two stared at each other for a few minutes before Allie hugged her mom. “Can we eat now?” Allie asked as she got up from the couch.

After dinner and during the dishes, Allie told her mom about her dreams last night. “It was weird, I dreamt of dad. He told me I needed to go to the darkness and see the light.” I didn’t know what he meant so I asked him about it. He disappeared, but then someone that sounded like Grandma, but didn’t look like her, said for me to ask you what it meant.” Allie told her mom.  “That is strange, honey, I don’t really know what it means.” Maggie replied.  The two finished cleaning up the kitchen before Allie went to do her homework.  “You have soccer practice at 6 tonight.” Maggie reminded Allie.

Maggie dropped Allie off at soccer practice and told her she was going to run to the grocery store and drop the groceries at home before coming back to pick her up. While at the store, she ran into Jen, one of her and Dean’s friends from church.  Maggie kind of blushed with embarrassment for not having been to church in weeks.  The two started talking as if nothing ever happened. That’s the way it is with good friends; you can go for weeks, even years without talking and pick up as if it was only yesterday the last time you spoke.  Maggie told Jen that she was planning on going back to church, starting this Sunday. She shared with Maggie what happened earlier in the day; everything from falling and crying, to hearing bible verses and the urge to pray.  Jen listened intently and said that Maggie was being led back to church and back to her walk with God.  Before leaving the store, Jen asked Maggie if she was going to watch the eclipse on Monday.  She told Jen that a group of friends were gathering at the local park to watch it right at 3 p.m. since it would begin just before 3:15 in their region. “We are so excited to watch this event, it’s going to be so dark when it gets to totality. Seeing it get light again will be fun.  Some people believe that a total eclipse can make us realize how insignificant we are, how big our God is, and prompt us to get back on the right path if we’ve wandered.”  Jen said.  Maggie could almost feel her jaw drop. Isn’t that what she had been feeling the need for as she prayed, to get back on the right path?  Suddenly, she thought of Allie’s dream when she heard her dad tell her to go to the dark before seeing the light.  She hugged Jen goodbye, promised to be at the park on Monday, and paid for her groceries.

When Maggie went to pick Allie up, she could hardly contain her excitement. She told Allie about her encounter with Jen and about the meeting on Monday, at the park.  “Allie, I think I know what your dream meant and what it meant when your dad told you to go to the dark, before seeing the light.” Maggie said, excitedly.  She told Allie that she was going to excuse her from school early, at 2:45, and the two of them were going to the park where the church friends were meeting.  “I think we are meant to watch the eclipse together, as a bonding moment, and as a commitment to start fresh. Once the day is filled with twilight, from the eclipse, we will commit our lives back to God, to get back on track.  We have to get out of this funk and get back into community with our church friends. I want you to get back into your youth group.”  Allie sighed and didn’t say much; she knew when to argue with her mom and when to keep quiet. She could see the resolution in her mom’s eyes, and she hadn’t seen hope in them since the day her dad died. Allie didn’t want to admit it, but her mom’s hope was a little contagious and she could feel something stir in her heart.

The rest of the weekend passed without too much excitement; Maggie and Allie went to church and stayed after to visit with friends. They solidified the plans to meet at the park the next day. Jen and her husband, Cliff had also agreed to take their daughter, Becca, out of school early to watch the eclipse.   They thought one of the teachers indicated that the school was going to dismiss kids early or at least let them be outside to view this event.  Becca and Allie went to the same school but were in different classes. The two visited and caught up on their 8-year-old lives before heading outside in the parking lot to wait for the adults to finish visiting.  On the drive home, Allie confided to Maggie that “it felt kind of good” being back in church and singing all the familiar songs.  Allie said she wanted to go to the youth group this coming Wednesday night; Becca had asked her why she hadn’t been attending.  Maggie smiled and agreed that it would be a very good idea for her to go. “In fact,” Maggie told her, “I will stay for adult bible study too.”

Monday morning started with a buzz of excitement in the air; for Maggie because she couldn’t wait to see the eclipse and officially recommit hers and Allie’s determination to get back on track. She kind of felt silly that she was using the eclipse as the moment to recommit when she had kind of already done so. Still, it was symbolic, and she thought it would be meaningful to Allie.  Allie was just excited to get out of school a little early, even if it was only 45 minutes. Her last class was math, and she didn’t like it.  She promised her mom to bring her math book home and get her homework done after they returned from the park.  Maggie kissed Allie goodbye as she left the house for the short walk to the bus stop and finished the breakfast dishes.  She showered and straightened up the house and decided to grab her bible from the cedar chest, where she stashed it after the news of Dean’s death.  She opened the bible and to her surprise it opened to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, verses 11-13; ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. That had been her favorite for years before Dean’s death. It seemed like every time something was about to happen in her life, that verse would start to appear. It happened when she was in college before meeting Dean. It happened a year later, before Dean proposed. It happened a month before she got the job offer of a lifetime at the big Tech company. It happened before she found out she was pregnant with Allie. There were several other times the verse popped up before she felt nudged to do something; before her invite to bible study, before she received the news that her mom had terminal cancer, before she and Dean bought their first house, and even before Dean’s death.  After the news of his death, she never wanted to see that verse again, and now here it was.  She started to cry and wondered why God had taken Dean from her and Allie. How could that ever prosper her and not harm her. She and Dean were soul mates; she never imagined life without him.  “My ways are not your ways” popped into her head again.  She shook her head and wondered out loud why God did this to her.  Was he sparing her from something else, something worse? What could be worse than losing him?  She remembered a conversation she and Dean had a week or so before his death. She hadn’t thought of it until now.  They were driving home from bible study, talking about death and the afterlife. They were glad they were Christians and raising Allie to be a Christ follower.  Dean told her he wasn’t afraid to die because he knew where he was going. Allie had confided to him a few months earlier that she had doubts sometimes. She didn’t feel worthy, and she didn’t know if she believed everything the bible taught and that she never officially asked Christ into her life.  It pained Dean, she could tell, but she needed to be honest with him. He told her that doubt was normal, but she needed to pray for clarity and faith. He told her that if he ever died before her, he would be waiting for her. He promised her to pray for her faith to be increased, and for her to stay on the narrow path, he begged her to ask to be saved and to make it official.  She hadn’t done that, and now she felt determined that she needed to do so.  Tonight was the night.

Allie came running out of school at 2:44, eager to get to the park. It was only a 5-minute drive and would give them enough time to get parked, grab the blanket, binoculars, and food. They decided to have a quick picnic afterwards. Maggie had read all about viewing the eclipse and how to position the binoculars so they could see the planets as the eclipse started. They met their friends, exchanged excited hellos and how they were all anticipating the eclipse.  Maggie confided in Allie what she was going to do today; to give her life to Christ. Allie was shocked that her mom hadn’t done it yet. Allie had done so at 6 years of age, during a youth retreat. She had just assumed both parents had done so. She asked Maggie, worriedly, if her dad was a believer.  Maggie assured her that he was, and he was already in heaven, waiting for both of them. As 3:00 o’clock approached, everyone gathered around to wait for the eclipse to begin and for totality at 3:15, to be exact.  As the eclipse started, a hush fell over the crowd.  Maggie could feel her heart beating faster. At 3:14, the eclipse was almost complete, and the sky was an eerie twilight, she began to pray silently. She prayed for forgiveness, she prayed to be saved, she prayed that she would be stronger, she prayed for help. At 3:15, the eclipse was in totality, and the ring around the moon was a bright, glowing circle. All eyes were on it, but Maggie looked around. Suddenly she felt electrified; she saw Dean standing next to her with his arm on Allie, she saw her mom on the other side of her. She saw friends and family that had passed before her. She saw her childhood dogs running around. She saw a glowing figure before her with arms wide open. She heard a voice tell her to be at peace for she was saved.  She looked over at Dean and saw him smile; he looked like Dean, but different. He was glowing and his face was radiant. As quickly as everyone appeared, they were gone. It was 3:16 and the eclipse was moving out of totality.  She looked over at Allie, who looked at her and smiled.  “Did you see anything Allie?” Maggie asked.  “Duh mom, I saw the coolest thing ever, the eclipse was amazing, did you see that ring?”  Maggie asked if she saw anything else or anyone else. Allie looked at her kind of weird before confirming that the eclipse was all she saw, but she did say she felt an energy of sorts and she felt “all warm and fuzzy” like she used to when her dad gave her an extra big hug.  Maggie smiled.  She decided not to say anything about what she saw; this was meant for her eyes only.  “You know Allie, the bible tells us we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Remember that when you start to miss your dad.”  Allie smiled at her mom. Just then Maggie’s phone rang, normally she wouldn’t answer it, but the caller’s ID was showing one of the companies where she had applied.  She answered the phone tentatively.  “Maggie Day? This is Rita with the recruiting firm, I just sent an offer letter to your email address on file. Please confirm that you received it and let me know if you have any questions.”  Maggie could hardly contain her excitement, but she managed to play it cool and let Rita know that she would check her email as soon as she got home and call her back.  Allie looked at her quizzically, “What’s up mom?”  “Allie, I think everything is going to be fine. Let’s have our picnic and be thankful for our blessings.”