Monday's solar eclipse was a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch as the moon passed in front of the sun. It may not seem that significant to some people, but it was the only time a natural phenomenon like this will occur in the next hundred years.
As I staked out on Wheeler Lawn that afternoon, attempting to capture photos of the cosmic event, an older man approached me. He asked if I could lend him my glasses so that he could see the eclipse.
I handed them to him and watched as he gazed into the sky, searching for the sun and moon overlapping.
Instantly, his eyes locked onto the event; his expression was one of childlike wonder.
After gazing at it for a while, he told me a story about a 12-year-old child on a farm, looking up to the sky thirty-eight years ago to see the same thing.
He was referring to himself.
He recalled running out to the porch with his family to watch as the moon moved across the sky until it was in front of the sun. He said the sky dimmed for a while.
Handing the glasses back to me, he thanked me for a second chance to witness it in his lifetime.
On campus, a telescope was positioned near the science building so people could see it up close. Tents were set up everywhere for people to stay out of the direct sun.
Professors and students marveled and shared their glasses with each other after all of the university-purchased ones had been given away.
Groups gathered together, and new friends were made. Some students even went around asking if everyone had seen it and lending their glasses to those who weren’t fortunate enough to get their own so they could enjoy it.
As the maximum eclipse was about to occur, I looked around me and couldn’t help but feel the sense of community that we at Longwood take pride in.
No one was alone as they looked up toward the sky. Everyone stopped and took a break on the first day of classes to come together and experience the eclipse.
Then the moon passed under the sun, creating shade and comfort from what was sweltering heat just hours before.
The people of Longwood - the heart of Longwood - were in awe together as they saw the breathtaking spectacle above them.
The Maximum eclipse as the moon fully covered the sun, leaving only it's wandering rays to shine through.
The sunlight and the moonlight shining through the clouds.
