Electricity...

Finally! Last night about 10 pm, after 78 hours of no power, Consumer's got us hooked back up. I was so excited that I spent about 3 hours cleaning - I had to scrub out the fridge and freezer, bag up all of the nasty food, whatever we weren't able to save by cramming it into the cooler. I actually enjoyed the cleaning burst of energy that I had. Of course, when I fell into bed I was completely exhausted though.

Having no power was kind of a blessing though. Once in a while I think we need to slow down and see what we take for granted everyday. My harshest reality was the inability to have a pot of coffee... however, my mom, bless her heart, figured out how to make it on the grill in her backyard. She just grilled me a pot at 9pm last night, right before the power came on (maybe that's where the burst of cleaning power came from)...

We spent a couple of the days in the hotel, it was just too hot in the house and I never realized how bad it is when you can't flush, can't shower or wash dishes, do laundry, can't clean even the little stuff... I cut up a watermelon and couldn't wipe down the counters without soaking a towel in our drinking water. With three kids the germophobe was clawing away at my mind. It was a nice couple days at the hotel, the kids got to swim and stay up late and watch movies with mom and dad instead of watching on their own TVs. We played board games and just relaxed. So even though the power being out was an inconvenience it wasn't the disaster that it could have been.

It also got me thinking about a series of books I had been reading. The Restoration Series, by Teri Blackstock. Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn's Light. I've read the first three and am waiting for the last one. They are a Christian based series that is based on what happens when the world as we know it is hit by a Pulse (energy from a star), that wipes out all electronics, electricity, everything... Planes falling from the sky, people abandoning their cars and hiking home, the state of panic that the world and the people are in when the disorder comes into their life, the crime sprees, the panic, the initial inability to get water and food, and then the resourcefulness of people as they create ways (think Little House on the Prairie) to feed and water their family.

The author points out things like the ease that the suburban/rural areas adjusted by plowing up their yards to plant food and using nearby water sources (ponds and lakes) to get water to boil. But then, what about the city areas and apartment complexes that have no yard or water anywhere around. What about the families that had children where parents never came home? What about the elderly and the sick?

It is interesting to think about how much we do rely on the inventions in the world around. And how we take for granted the ease that we have to do the things we can. We can travel at a moment's notice, send an email across the ocean, call a loved one to make sure they are okay when they aren't at home, and feel secure in our homes. When all that is gone would you rely on God and still think he was looking down with care on you and your family. Would I hold fast in faith and not lose hope?

Anyway, the books were interesting to say the least. They triggered some ideas and questions that really made me stop and think. And when I worry about 78 hours with no electric, I can think of the theory in those books and see how good we have it, and I can feel blessed that I had the weekend to enjoy being with just my family.