The Robinson’s: Wind Storm Edition
Christmas parties? Nah. Christmas concerts? No way. The weather had different plans for us this week. I was sitting in my classroom Thursday after school after a stormy afternoon (in more ways than one). I was hanging around for the staff Christmas party and then the all-school Christmas concert (at our school it’s still called a Christmas concert). Because of the weather, we decided to cancel all that, so I went home around 4 pm. Between 5 and 6 pm the roof would literally be ripped off our school building, causing major damage to the interior of our school. Community members would stay all night covering up computers and records and generally trying to keep the damage to a minimum. I would return in the morning to find that mine was one of only three classrooms with minimal damage. There are still Christmas ornaments and presents in my classroom that need to be delivered around the community. I’m hoping to get to that next week. I was shooed out of the building on Friday because it may be dangerous for my little one. I want to help but really don’t know what to do. I would make cinnamon rolls and take them out there, but Paul and I are still without power after 48 hours. Although there was no damage to our house or surrounding property, winds at 70 mph are scary to listen to, so I went to sleep as soon as possible that night.
How am I writing this? Our computer has battery power and I’ll post this when I get to the Robinson’s who we’ll be visiting today. Paul and I have vowed to be more ready for the next time something like this happens, even though it’s not likely to happen for another ten years. The trees that are down on my parent’s property are to many to count, and my grandparents counted at least twenty on their property.
Do we take things like running water, heat and electricity for granted? Definitely. Last night as Paul and I were laying in our bed (our house was about 45 degrees inside) we were remembering some shows we watched on PBS called Frontier House. They took two modern couples and had them live off the land, build a house, etc. Kind of like reality TV only more interesting. It was the kind of thing that Paul would rock out, but I would probably complain the whole way through. They even had to use all the original materials and clothes. No gortex, no warm down jackets. REI is the ONLY reason that I can be an outdoor girl, and it’s still not my first nature. Anyway, all that to say that we were pretending to be frontierspeople, but we were tired of it. REALLY. After only two days. I want to do laundry, I want to wash my dishes. And it isn’t even that bad. We ran down to McDonald’s this morning for breakfast AND I can take a shower at my gym anytime I want. Moral of the story: we area wimpier than I thought, and by next week when this is all over I will probably be taking things for granted right and left. But besides the heat and the running water, what do I miss most? I’d have to say it would be the lights on my Christmas tree. I’d have to say it would be seeing my kids sing in their Christmas concert that they practiced so hard for. I’d have to say it would be having a safe place to work and teach. What do I love? I love the way our small community pulled together to help each other out. I love how I feel grateful for everything I have this Christmas season. I love how I’m not stressing out about having the most tasty appetizer at the next Christmas party. Things that seemed like a big deal on Monday are unimportant right now, and I am looking forward to celebrating Jesus with the people I care about with a very….grateful….heart.
Christmas parties? Nah. Christmas concerts? No way. The weather had different plans for us this week. I was sitting in my classroom Thursday after school after a stormy afternoon (in more ways than one). I was hanging around for the staff Christmas party and then the all-school Christmas concert (at our school it’s still called a Christmas concert). Because of the weather, we decided to cancel all that, so I went home around 4 pm. Between 5 and 6 pm the roof would literally be ripped off our school building, causing major damage to the interior of our school. Community members would stay all night covering up computers and records and generally trying to keep the damage to a minimum. I would return in the morning to find that mine was one of only three classrooms with minimal damage. There are still Christmas ornaments and presents in my classroom that need to be delivered around the community. I’m hoping to get to that next week. I was shooed out of the building on Friday because it may be dangerous for my little one. I want to help but really don’t know what to do. I would make cinnamon rolls and take them out there, but Paul and I are still without power after 48 hours. Although there was no damage to our house or surrounding property, winds at 70 mph are scary to listen to, so I went to sleep as soon as possible that night.
How am I writing this? Our computer has battery power and I’ll post this when I get to the Robinson’s who we’ll be visiting today. Paul and I have vowed to be more ready for the next time something like this happens, even though it’s not likely to happen for another ten years. The trees that are down on my parent’s property are to many to count, and my grandparents counted at least twenty on their property.
Do we take things like running water, heat and electricity for granted? Definitely. Last night as Paul and I were laying in our bed (our house was about 45 degrees inside) we were remembering some shows we watched on PBS called Frontier House. They took two modern couples and had them live off the land, build a house, etc. Kind of like reality TV only more interesting. It was the kind of thing that Paul would rock out, but I would probably complain the whole way through. They even had to use all the original materials and clothes. No gortex, no warm down jackets. REI is the ONLY reason that I can be an outdoor girl, and it’s still not my first nature. Anyway, all that to say that we were pretending to be frontierspeople, but we were tired of it. REALLY. After only two days. I want to do laundry, I want to wash my dishes. And it isn’t even that bad. We ran down to McDonald’s this morning for breakfast AND I can take a shower at my gym anytime I want. Moral of the story: we area wimpier than I thought, and by next week when this is all over I will probably be taking things for granted right and left. But besides the heat and the running water, what do I miss most? I’d have to say it would be the lights on my Christmas tree. I’d have to say it would be seeing my kids sing in their Christmas concert that they practiced so hard for. I’d have to say it would be having a safe place to work and teach. What do I love? I love the way our small community pulled together to help each other out. I love how I feel grateful for everything I have this Christmas season. I love how I’m not stressing out about having the most tasty appetizer at the next Christmas party. Things that seemed like a big deal on Monday are unimportant right now, and I am looking forward to celebrating Jesus with the people I care about with a very….grateful….heart.
