Here Comes the Sun

And it's only in this exact spot every 28 years. This, according to certain astronomical calculations, is the day when the sun is in its original position in creation. Frankly, I knew nothing about this until I read an article about it in last Saturday's New York Times. Basically, the calculations, made by a long ago Talmudic sage, marks the point when the sun moves into the, "same place in the sky at the same time, and on the same day of the week," as it did when it was created. And, like I said before, that apparently only happens every 28 years. This event, like so many in Judaism, necessitates a special blessing and, of course, much discourse on the exact "right" way to acknowledge this milestone.
In all honesty, my first reaction to this was, Oy! Judaism has so many blessings for so many things both great and small. And I do genuinely appreciate the concept of being grateful for the miraculous and the mundane, but...another blessing? Well, then I went to Shabbat morning services and this was the topic of the sermon. It changed my mind. I came to realize that this was a wonderful opportunity to take a few minutes to marvel at something I take for granted and have taken for granted my entire life.
So, this morning, on the way home from swim team, which was at daybreak ( another reason to exclaim Oy!), my middle daughter, Rachel, and I talked about this amazing moment in the history of our Earth and I (not her, because she's 14 and she doesn't do sappy things like recite blessings) said the blessings. I also decided that when I got home I'd take some time to "document" some of the many ways my little corner of the world is touched by the Sun.