Winter Weather Adventures
Depending on where you live, these past two weeks might have been a mixture of feelings including, but not limited to concern, creativity, caution, relief, gratitude, as well as safety, fun and enjoyment all rolled into one. The first weekend of ice and power outages, leaving 10’s of 1,000’s of homes and businesses without electricity across the country was something we have not seen in a very long time. What a blessing to have the resources we needed to make it through safely.
Families, friends, and neighbors did their part to check on each other if they weren’t in the same house and to provide helpful updates. During this time, we had to be creative to meet our needs as well as to entertain ourselves without the convenience and distraction of technology. We were told to stay home so that the hardworking linemen and road crews were able to restore electricity and roadways! Their tireless effects did not go un-noticed and without gratitude! It is amazing how much we take our daily gifts for granted until they are not available.
Our community was prepared. Was yours? We foresaw the inclement weather coming. We had people trained, willing to work, and ready to be put into action. We had grocery stores and gas stations open and available to stock up for the event’s duration. And for that, we are very grateful.
This past weekend, our communities in the Southeast side of country were able to wake up Saturday morning with blankets of pure white snow on the ground. After the harsher ice storm, this was a wonderful way to embrace the joy, fun and pleasure of sledding, building snowmen, and having a peaceful and quiet time outside together. We saw many families making snow angels and catching snowflakes on their tongues over social media. It’s almost as if the snow was a way to wipe clean the uncertainty of the previous weekend and to bring us back together to experience the joy of being playful and carefree.
For each of us it’s important to be prepared for what we may or may not see coming into our lives. We are all going to experience life’s hurdles, both small and large. The important thing we can learn from our recent winter weather adventures is that we can overcome these challenges. It’s a matter of depending on each other to do our individual part, learning from the past, and preparing for what may come in the future. We can do this by listening, taking to heart the instructions we receive, doing research to better prepare ourselves, and by not waiting—act before it is too late. By doing these things, we will be much more inclined to enjoy what comes our way with the resources we need to be safe and secure, and to share the new memory with family and friends in future.
