For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.
– Folliett Sandford Pierpoint, 1864
Andrew finished editing his documentary on The Eclipse of April 8, 2024, as viewed from Ashtabula, Ohio. It’s well worth seeing and will likely plunge you into deep levels of worship. I cry every time I see it. Here is a link to the finished film:
2024 Eclipse by Andrew Valentino
He begins with a glimpse of the partial eclipse from August 21, 2017, and then moves to this year’s phenomenon. It was a social event as much as an astronomical one. After doing several interviews with the sky watchers who had gathered in his location—including one from The Netherlands who would go on to propose to his girlfriend during totality—he gets to the eclipse proper.
At that point, Drew overlays a soundtrack from Sight & Sound’s David production, where Israel’s king worships the God who made the sun, moon, and stars, and everything else in all creation. For believers, the effect is both rich and remarkable. Psalm 19 is still relevant 3,000 years after its composition.
Oh, and everyone was happy that “she said yes” to the proposal. As a father, I am happiest that my son fell to his knees in worship of the Creator at the high point of the cosmic spectacle. As the Apostle John put it:
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4).
I stayed home and watched a partial occlusion from my perch here in Eastern Pennsylvania, surrounded by my stunning flowerbeds, which is a different kind of beauty than found in the skies, but no less glorious. Snaps of those gems are below. Also included are a few shots of our newly expanded garden box. I’ll take more pics when I install the critter fence later today.
Enjoy.
