when the power goes out

10:15 pm Monday

and just like that, 

I join the masses who are without power...

I am smiling because it is only minutes old,

I am in a safe place

I was able to be prepared, even as I hoped I wouldn't need to be

I have everything I need 

tonight, as I sit in the almost dark,

in a house without the usual hum of electrical things running

I find I am more thankful than usual for:

candles

matches

lighters

flashlights

batteries

a wood burning stove insert

pinecones, gathered in the fall, to use as kindling

seasoned wood from a woodpile delivered in late summer

paper to help get the pinecones lit (they got a little wet)

a home that has good windows and decent insulation

cozy blankets

the crackle and pop of a fire going good

I am thankful for friends who've texted today

ones who invited me to ride out the newest storm front at their house

one who contacted me just minutes after the power went off 

they'd been led to pray for me, not knowing I'd just lost electricity

one who wanted to make sure I was okay and had a heat source tonight

I'm thankful for: 

those who chose professions that put them in harm's way 

to keep us safe and comfortable

the linemen who've been working to restore power from our last wintry go around

the ones who are out working now 

I'm thankful for those who are and have been out in this mess:

plowing

rescuing

staffing medical facilities

making deliveries

grocery clerks

drug store employees

gas station workers

and so many more who put our needs before their own

I'm thankful for those who've provided safe, warm places for those who had none

for those who've donated food and other supplies to make shelters possible

for those who've offered comfort and food to those who've been working for us

you know, we tend to take a lot of things and a lot of people for granted

I encourage you to decide now to do something that might be foreign to you

the next time you see one of those people, thank them

it won't cost you anything but time

and will probably make a world of difference to them

also, please pray for those:

who are listed above

who've been without power for days now

who are homeless, with no safe place to go

who are dealing with anxiety/depression which is magnified by this weather