Waiting in a nice place
September 17, 2008 (Wednesday)
I’ve really enjoyed the 24 hours back in Rockport, because everything is back to normal, after a mandatory evacuation when the storm was headed this way. I’m sure everyone here who left town is happy that the storm did not hit while they were gone, especially after seeing the pictures of other coastal communities where it did hit.
I talked with my neighbor in Houston this morning and we are still without power. Many members of Timbergrove Baptist Church are without power, although some have it. Restoration of service is spasmodic.
When you are in your fifth day of no power and you have had to throw away everything that was in your refrigerator or freezer, and you look out your front door to see that your neighbor now has power, you feel frustrated. So your neighbor offers to run an extension cord across the street to your house. The utility spokesman told the person facing that situation that it was not a good idea, but, if he did it, he needed to protect the cord some way so that it would not become a hazard.
Both my children and their families who live in that area now have power. One is in Pearland and the other in The Woodlands, 70 miles apart. I’m happy for them. My grandson, Michael, who lives in Webster, of all places, never lost power, and that’s amazing, considering how close he lives to Galveston. I feel for the folks who are still in limbo awaiting the juice to come back on. But all of us who are alive and well and have our homes either intact or repairable are very thankful for our situation, because so many others have lost everything, and some have lost their lives. Life is a series of opportunities to keep everything in perspective, isn’t it?
The old advice is much maligned and ridiculed, but it is true: “Cheer up, things could be worse.” Again I’m reminded of Philippians 4:6-7 which says, “Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything, and don’t forget to thank God for the answers.”