Do You Know The Power?

I just want to share my past week with you. Over the past weekend I had not been listening to the news to hear what was going on with the weather. So we go church on Sunday and we come out and we feel the wind just whipping around us and pushing Tyler along. We go to the grocery store, like we normally do, to buy Sunday dinner and food for the week. My niece Ryan was moving into her first apartment and after dropping off the groceries we changed and went to her apartment.

Ryan's apartment was filled with family and friends. As we sat in the living room we began noticing people's roofs coming apart, garbage cans being swept blocks up the street, and branches flying around like we were in Kansas (Wizard of Oz). Then the lights went out. After the second outage we all decided to head home. In Cincinnati we were not prepared for uprooted trees and power lines sparkling on most major roadways. Getting home was something of a puzzle. All the traffic lights were going out. Even the detours had detours. Once we finally got home we realized our power was out too. Alex got out a deck of cards and we played several games of 'Kings in the Corner' I went outside and spoke with my neighbor and remembered that my friend Stephanie had gotten a call that the city would be out of power for days.

My lights went out on Sunday and did not come back on until Wednesday afternoon. We, like many of our neighbors, lost all of our food and had no hot water. Over that span of time we visited my sister and parents probably more than we have all year. A very close friend of mine made sure we had candles and kept our home secure at night. So for three nights we had what I now call 'Kool Aid by candlelight' It has been difficult for many in our city, our family, and my close circle of friends to regroup and go on with daily life.

School was out for three days, only three grocery stores were open and getting gas was like a scene in an action movie. Our lives were simply at a standstill.
What I will cherish the most is the time I spent with my family, especially with my sons. Talking to them each night before going to sleep and running around the city making sure they were clean and fed made me realize how much I enjoy being their mother.

My life has changed so much. Sunday September 14, 2008 forced me to see life differently. What if I did not have electricity? What if I had to travel around the city daily searching for food and clean water? What if at night I had no place to sleep? God is amazing and He delivers us through our adversities. I want you to always remember that God has you through your situation. He loves you so much that He will allow a blackout to happen to prove that He is all you truly need. Be Blessed Arlinda