Power-less

(This is a sign posted by a neighborhood in Cincinnati who still does not have power after 6 days. Duke is the name of the power company out here)

Many of you have heard about the terrible hurricane Ike that stormed through Texas. Sunday I started to notice a really fierce wind in our backyard as it knocked over our barbecue, apparently the wind was from remains of the hurricane. I was kind of bummed that we lost our barbecue handle but at least we didn't have trees fall on our house or cars. When the power went out that night I wasn't too surprised..... but three days later I was. It's not like we are living in a third world country. So no laundry, no air, no heat, no dishwasher, no tv or computer and the worst was no refrigeration. We have an ice maker and we couldn't get the huge chunk of ice out so we had to let it drip out. Wyatt still drinks whole milk frequently through out the day so that was my main concern. Luckily a friend of ours offered to take our perishables to her house. She got power back Sunday evening. Thank you Rachel! So we didn't lose a ton of food but we did lose some.
Aside from that I got to spend some quality time with the kids and was just grateful that this didn't happen in the dead of winter. Then Wednesday rolled around and I was feeling pretty cranky as I was gathering the candles and flashlights to prepare for the evening. I couldn't understand why the street lights outside of our neighborhood were working but we didn't have power. Then around 7:00 p.m. it came back on. Just in time for me not to have a break down.
So today I was looking at the news in Cincinnati, and my heart is heavy for these people who still don't have their power. This is one of the stories:

"As they endured their sixth day without power today, Fort Wright residents Laura and Patrick Anneken erected the following sign on their porch: “Duke Energy bill: $500; Lost groceries: $500; family of 7 eating out every night, $400 and counting; No power for six days: Priceless.”
The family of seven is keeping milk for their five children in an ice-filled cooler. Because of the size of her family, Laura Anneken says she doesn’t want to impose on friends and relatives for meals."

That really is sad and frustrating! I can say that I know a little bit about how they feel and with five children! We are so grateful to have our power back but please continue to pray for those in Texas who are recovering and that Duke will be able to get the power back to those in Cincinnati who are still suffering from the aftermath of hurricane Ike.