Ice Storm 2013

I experienced our first ice storm ever. And it did not disappoint. I admit I could have been more prepared - we really lucked out that we had lots of candles lying around, that my 7 year old had an 'explorers' flashlight in the toy box and that my iphone was charged. The ipad was half charged and the computers had some battery left. And yes....we were very thankful for our gas stove! (though we realized we needed to start the stove as it uses electricity to start it!)

Our backyard deck

We woke up Sunday morning to find out we had lost power sometime in the middle of the night. The house was cold but bearable. We were thankful aside from the power, the water was still working. So we tried to keep things as 'normal' as possible for the family. My husband even managed to make pancakes for breakfast!

And for lunch? We had sushi last night so we just gave it to the kids! No need to heat anything :D

The ice storm was so bad it not only left some ice...everything I saw was ice!!! It was so icy my neighbour put on his skates and had a break skating up and down on our street - yes...not sliding...skating on skates!!!

Poor Charlie Brown

We spent the rest of this "Sabbath" doing things we never do on a Sunday - we did not go to church, we had no plans of going anywhere on the Sunday before Christmas, and instead, we played. Yes, we played the old fashioned way...together. We made up games of scavenger hunt, we created stories together, we made s'mores, we drew and coloured, we wrote about the storm and how we were feeling about it, we read books and played pretend. Amidst it all, I noticed something....I was glad I was reminded of what real rest and sabbath are meant to be. No facebooks, no Internet, No phones, No computers (well, I admit I used facebook and text to find out whether church was still on, and we did let the kids watch a few movies on the ipad).

And I napped...in the middle of the day...with no guilt. It was nice and cozy...the house being colder and colder...my bed seemed the best place to be.

And I read...I read a book without feeling rushed. Just sat and read while the kids played.

Sabbath....

And by 5PM we had a candlelight dinner. We have a gas oven too - but then we realized, the panel that controls the oven is electric powered - so we had to ditch the plan and revamp our menu - My son commented how exciting it was - he felt as if he was in a fancy restaurant. And I was silently very thankful for warm food.

As the house got colder, we took out our kettle - yes, remember those? and we boiled water - yes, we boiled water....to make a cup of hot tea.....I treasured that cup of hot tea more than ever before, it tasted somehow warmer, better, yummier than any other teas I've had before.

And then noticing we still had warm water.....turning the faucet to wash dishes in the dark - I was more and more thankful...we not only had running water....but there was warm water. What else could I ask for.

There is something about having kids - you have to speak up what might otherwise just be hidden in your heart. All day long we longed to have our power restored, and I had to reassured my kids there were workers out there in the cold working around the clock to help us. That we needed to be thankful for electricity now that we know what having no electricity means. And then I realized...it takes a certain amount of trust -- we trust....that somehow, soon enough, the power WILL be restored.

Throughout the day we had power come in ... for 1-5 minutes. We were ecstatic the first time we got power back but extremely disappointed when it went away. By the third time, we had learned to contain our excitement and simply reminded our kids this was a reminder that the workers were trying really really hard.

That, my friends, is TRUST and FAITH

And as we prepared the kids for an early evening - and moved their beds to our bedroom....voila....the power came back...for good.

We were ecstatic, relieved, happy, and warm.

But the experienced was long enough to stay with me -- and I was reminded constantly that not everyone had power yet. As I write this not everyone I know has power restored.

And I realized how different this Ice Storm of 2013 will be remembered by many - if I had power, I would have simply said it was a storm, where Church was cancelled and where we were 'couped' up in the house. But because we had no power, it felt a lot different. Some people's trees fell, some dangerously close to them, or onto their cars...that was dangerous.

In a strange way, I am glad we lost power ... for a good while so that I may FEEL and REMEMBER it.

Our house if full of people now...my parents, cousin and brother are all here since last night when our power was restored. It is a full house for sure...but hey, we have a good thing (power and warmth) - why keep it to ourselves?

I've noticed...gladly, that many people have opened their homes for other families who do not have power in theirs - looking at social media I even see many people in our church family sharing the same roof with other people. And for a moment, I thank God for this storm. In a strangely divine way, God uses even an ice storm to teach us all to be thankful, and to share the blessings we have.

Though it is great we can open doors to share with people - I also notice something else. It is not "normal" - it doesn't come naturally. But let's push through that...and maybe in some way, we all will experience community in a new way: not just by saying "stay safe, take care" but by actually doing something -- opening one of the most 'private' places in our North American's way of life and letting people come in, dine with us, play with us, spend time with us and sleep under the same roof.

And by the way, as an added bonus, my 5 year old got to sleep with us...and our 7 year old had his first sleep'over' with his uncle (in his bedroom)

son's sleep 'over'

The storm is not over - I was reminded this morning to check on friends who are still without power...and might be hosting more people - we shall see. Definitely learning to care in action.

Kids Playing with our family

Yes, I will remember this storm....because I not only saw it on TV - I felt it and lived it - even if I admit it, in my small ways...after all, I still had a nice home to shelter me from the wind and hazardous weather out there, the house was full of food, and we had that blessed gas stove.

UPDATE:

Today, on Day 2 of the storm, we ventured out to clean up some of the thick ice on our driveway. The Sun was shining on the ice and it was actually quite pretty (though even in our street I can imagine how dangerous it could be if one is not careful!)

Here are some pics of our adventure....