ELECTRIC IS SO GOOD

Electric is good, very, very good. It is amazing how much we take for granted our conveniences that people around the world do not have!!

Ohio has had the worst wind storm. Last night our winds had gusts of 74 miles per hour. It was horrible. You felt as if you were going to be blown away.

Thankfully we did not have snow but rain during this time. I can't imagine how snowed in we would be if the temperature had not been 45!

Last night at 9:52 our cable went out. We are HUGE Lost fans and this was devastating. We missed the last few minutes of the show. Blake and I only watch one show on TV other than the news! That is it. Nothing else. We can't wait for Wednesday nights.

OK no cable, no internet, no land line phones. We can live.

Around 10:00 I ran the bathtub full of cold water to make sure we would have water to flush the toilets if the electric went off.

10:17 the lights start to flicker. I say to Blake "I need to get up and get some candles out in case we lose the lights." 10:19 Marvin comes down scared from the wind. 10:21 I am still sitting on the bed and the lights go out. No candles. Not good. Our house is pitch black.

Jake immediately starts screaming. The wind was so strong at that moment it sounded like a freight train. So I take off to the upstairs with my cell phone lighting the way.

The two older boys were asleep in the basement. Ann and I grabbed Bell and Jake and took them down to our room. Ann decided to sleep upstairs.

So because I was lazy I had to gather the candles from the closet in the dark.

All night long the wind was howling. The temperature in the house at 8:00 AM was 56.

Now the big problem in the country is no electric, no well water. No water, no shower, no flushing the toilet add to that the loss of electric and no microwave, teapot or toaster.

It was an adventure. Thankfully my parents and sisters, who live three miles away, had electric. Blake and Jesse went and took showers at my parents and then it was off to work and school.

Sam got his braces on today, pictures later, so he and I went to my sisters around 10:30 for showers before the orthodontist. Of course the three little ones planted themselves immediately in front of her TV.

The lights came back on at 2:19 PM. Praise God!

It is amazing to me how we forget to be thankful for the things we grow to expect such as lights, a warm shower, clean water to brush teeth, warmth. These are things we take for granted that other countries do not have even have.

Last night as the wind roared around us I fell asleep praying, thanking God for a well built home that could stand strong in the winds and shelter us from the brutality of the cold air. Yes it was cool inside but it was even colder outside as the wind was blowing. We were able to protect our children from the cold, harsh winds.

I shiver to think how hard it would be as a parent without a way to protect my children from the cold winds.

God blesses us so much in this country. We want to stand and complain and not work for what we get. Many people expect a hand out and not a helping hand. Many would rather survive on government programs than have gainful employment to pay for what they need. Many gripe about what is wrong with this country rather than look at what is good and volunteer to help fix the bad

I am proud God saw fit to allow me the luxury of being born in America where warm beds and a roof over our heads is typical. Sometimes I forget how much He has given me and forget to thank and praise Him for all He gives me. It takes a night without electric to put things into perspective.