Selfish, selfish, selfish!!!!

Our power was out from 6:20 p.m until a short time after 9:30 p.m. I always have a difficult time when the power is out. The electric company was repairing a substation. This was a planned thing, apparently. The company called everyone to let us know it was going to happen but never had a specific time. I got a call from them at roughly 3:00.

This decision had nearly 4000 households without power. McDonalds was closed. BP was closed. Tim Horton's was closed. Rite Aid, Walgreens, Family Video. WAL-MART was even closed!!!! My husband looked online via his phone to check the status and was supposed to be back up approximately 8:30. How many families had to go without dinner because they decided to shut this off during what time many families would be having dinner? Look at the money that the businesses were losing...Couldn't they find a more convenient time to inconvenience us? Like, after midnight?!?!?! [Yeah, yeah...I know. It was an emergency shutdown.]

Camden didn't get a shower before bed like she normally would...she wouldn't take one in the dark. Kainan kept telling me to turn the lights and t.v on. And I continued to be frustrated. I was hot, the kids needed baths, I WAS BORED! My patience had oozed away!! [It doesn't take long for that to happen with me anyway!!]

And as I'm sitting here sweating, frustrated, bored and in the dark I thought about something other than myself.

Somewhere on the other side of my little world, there are 33 people STUCK underground. Two-thousand three hundred feet below the surface!!. They have been there for 26 days! TWENTY-SIX!! They are in the dark, without their families. They have no television, internet or cell phones. {Until recently, of course} No refrigerators, microwaves or stoves. They have been living on glucose tablets and high protein milk, low oxygen, and have not been able to bathe. There is no light, they wouldn't know the difference between night and day if not for the sources on the outside. They received their first hot meal today. They are looking at another several months below the Earth's surface.

And I was complaining about 3 HOURS! What is wrong with me!?!?!?! I have a bed, couch, chairs, food to eat, family to talk to. A cell phone. I took a walk to the river. Watered my flowers. Yelled at my kids. Was able to pee on the toilet. Wash my hands. All of these things, I'm sure any one of those men would be so grateful to be able to do!

Very shortly after realizing just how selfish I was acting, the lights were back on. I think this may have been a way of God telling me to slow down and realize just how much I have. And I am grateful for every little inconvenient minute of our powerless night! What a great reminder to slow down & be appreciative. Or...SLOW DOWN & SMELL THE ROSES!