Good Morning friends! This morning I am feeling extremely
grateful. I am writing this from the hotel room that I had to rent last night
because I was still without power when I finished my speaking engagement late
last evening. We had a terrible storm blow through on Sunday afternoon and the
electricity went out early in the afternoon. I spent Sunday night at my house,
hoping that the power would be restored. It wasn’t, and it was cold and dark
when I woke up yesterday. Because I live
in a rural area, when the power goes out, I also lose water, so it was a bit of
an inconvenience yesterday getting ready for work. I packed a bag by
candlelight and arrived at work very early so I could clean up and get ready
for the day. Because the temperatures were in the 20’s and 30’s yesterday, I
knew that I could not stay at the house without heat for a 2nd
night. So here I am….in a low budget motel, feeling like a queen because I have
heat, lights, and water.
This morning was the first opportunity I have had for a
couple of days to see any news coverage. WOW! What a storm it was. There are
only a few trees down near my place and no major damage to my property, but all
over the county, there are pictures of severe damage. Thousands of people in my
area are without power and the Red Cross opened up an emergency shelter nearby.
Today I am watching the coverage from Illinois…..and suddenly, I feel
incredibly blessed to ONLY have lost power. I’m sure I lost the contents of my
refrigerator/freezers but what a small price to pay compared to so many others
who lost everything. Some even lost their lives. I cannot even imagine what it must be like
for those in the Philippines…or others throughout our own country who have
endured tornados, floods, or hurricane. It really makes me appreciate the
blessings in my life and to prioritize those things which really matter.
The recent storm served as a reminder to me of how much in
life I take for granted. Not only things like turning a switch and a light
going on or getting into the shower and hot water coming out of the faucet, but
other more important things like people.
I always try to be a person of gratitude, but the next time I find myself
wanting to whine, I hope to stop and pause for a minute to think of all the
blessings in my life. How many times do
we just “assume” that someone will be on the other end to answer the phone when
we call, or put off things like visiting a relative or sending a card, assuming
that ‘there is always tomorrow?” I’ve been reminded recently…..both with the
sudden death of my neighbor and this recent storm….that “there may NOT be
tomorrow.” Today is a gift….what can I do
today to cherish it? How can I make the
best of it? How can I show my gratitude
to God…and to others?
In terms of your own personal journey, I encourage you today
to pause at some time during this day to consider how many things in life you
take for granted. And also, keep in
mind, that none of us are assured of “tomorrow”. Today is our gift. TODAY is our chance to
make a different. TODAY is our day to make good choices and seek ways to do
good…..to be kind…to be generous….to be loving.
TODAY is our day to CHANGE our lives.
What are you grateful for today?
PS…I have since heard the power has been restored at my home
and if all goes well, I will go home to a warm house. Likely, there will be
lights on all over the house that were on when the power went out….but I will
be so happy to see them glowing when I pull in the drive tonight after work. I
hope that any of you affected by the storm will be restored to full service
soon. Thanks, Katherine, for posting the
update for me yesterday.
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