Powerless, and Powerful

We were among the unfortunate in the area worst hit by last week's ice storm. Still, it was not as bad as it could have been. We were without power for several days, and therefore without heat, a means to cook, etc. Several large limbs (not to mention the 4" of solid ice) prevented us from leaving the house for several days.

Fortunately, we have a gas fireplace in the family room, so we hunkered down there with the puppy and 2 cats. We had a battery operated lantern, a flashlight, and a battery-operated television, so we weren't exactly old timey pioneers.

The house only got down to 50. It is amazing how adaptable the human body is because it seemed as soon as we lost power, we lost our apetites as well. We dining on PB&J sandwiches, which do not taste nearly as delicious when it's your only option. After a few days of moving tree limbs, we were able to venture out to our favorite Chinese restaurant and to purchase additional batteries.

Each evening as the sun went down, it seemed completely natural to go to sleep. Ditto for first thing in the morning when the sun reappeared - time to wake up. Because the portable TV ate batteries very fast, we did not use it much, but listened to the radio a bit more. In the daylight we did work for work the "old-fashioned" paper way, using what little battery was left on the laptop to send daily updates to work and family.

We thought of the sick, the elderly, and those with small children, praying they had someone to take them in or made it to one of the local buildings opened as shelters. We listened to the whirl of the neighbor's generator and wondered if that might be a wise purchase - say sometime in 4 months when the prices were no longer at the "let's take advantage of people stage."

We were powerless, but in awe of God's power as we watched the well-cared for birds outside on the glistening ice.