Image of Emiglio seen in pancake

By Matthew Sheer
Hopkinsville Times

PEMBROKE, KENTUCKY (AP) - In the often mundane existence of everyday life, some things stand out as remarkable. In this case, it was breakfast. On Sunday morning, Selma Luke's life changed with the flip of a pancake.

"Look at my pancake," she reflects. "It looks like, well, it looks like Emiglio!"

"I thought it could very well look like Emiglio," said Ray, her husband.

Dr. Gregory Lawrence is a Grand Valley State University professor who teaches a course on psychology in religion and art. "That one's pretty accurate as far as these pictures go," said Dr. Lawrence.

The Lukes aren't the first to see images in everyday items, but usually these spottings involve more well-known figures. Julius Caesar has been spotted in a tree, Baby Jesus in a pretzel, the face of Ronald Reagan in a bowl of pudding, and the Lady Guadalupe salt stain in Chicago. There was even a Virgin Mary that appeared on a toasted cheese sandwich. It sold for $128,000 on Ebay, according to Dr. Lawrence.

Instead of eating the pancake, they stored it in the freezer and scurried off to church. But, what to make of this, they thought. After much discussion, including most of the sermon, no conclusion was drawn.

Dr. Lawrence says something like this is nearly always pure coincidence with a scientific explanation. Simply put, Emiglio was randomly burned in by butter.

Dr. Mark Roberts is the Chair of Theology at Aquinas College. He says the picture looks pretty accurate. But, he doubts it has religious meaning. He adds it is probably a fluke. "We may see something in the very ordinary that relates us to something beyond us," Dr. Roberts said. And that can be good for the individual.

The Lukes in Pembroke don't really know why the picture appeared. As for the pancake, they plan to hang onto it because, they say, how often does that happen?




>>> I do not understand any significance to this coincidence, but I do understand that all coincidences have significance. This has led me to the conclusion that we are not always meant to understand the significance of coincidences, or anything else for that matter.

>>> My advice for Selma Luke and her husband is to eat the pancake before it goes bad. And please don't sell it on Ebay. I love you.