“Michaela, can you bring your mom’s iron from the church? I need to press my Easter dress,” I asked my granddaughter on my cell phone. The iron was evidently pressed (no pun intended) into service when they were touching up bridesmaids’ dresses or something. Michaela, her sister and cousin, Allison, were at the church cleaning up from the wedding.
“I’m sorry, Mimi,” she said, “we have left the church and are on the way to Bethany’s. She said you could use her iron. I’ll bring it to you.” I told her I would return it tomorrow at church. Such a lot of trouble for such a little thing! It was worth it, though. The Spring dress was just right for the lovely weather, and I had accidentally left the alternative cool-weather dress at daughter Amy’s house in Georgia. We had gone from cool, to warm, to chilly and now hot on this trip, and I had tried to prepare for everything.
We had an inspiring Easter service in our kids' beautiful, stately church with Howard leading the song service in his inimitable style and our son-in-law, Steve, bringing a timely message. The new Mrs. Raines, back from her wedding trip to Gatlinburg, even graced the pulpit and favored us with a lovely solo in her clear, ringing voice. Afterward, there was a sumptuous feast for all in the gymnasium, still festive with wedding décor from her reception, and with plenty of wedding cake for dessert!
In the evening, the young women of the family, accompanied by Howard and myself, saw the inspirational movie, “Soul Surfer”. It is the story of Bethany Hamilton, the 13-year-old surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, and her way back to finding new purpose in life. What a heart-warming way to end a wonderful day.
Our plans are to meet Mark and Rhonda, our son and daughter-in-law, in Boone, North Carolina (a couple of hours away) today. They have had an unused gift of a reservation there for some time at a Bed and Breakfast and wanted us to join them for a couple of days. We weren’t sure if the accommodations would fit us all, but they called this morning with the news that the lodging is actually a house! We passed through Boone (Franklin Graham’s “Samaritan’s Purse” is based there) once before and the scenery is spectacular! God is so good to provide all the details of this wonderful trip. I think, like us, He also likes to surprise His children sometimes!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Maddie Joy and Other Joys
“Do you want me to take the rock from Maddie?” I asked my son, Jamie, as they got into the car to take their leave. The baby was buckled in her car seat and was sitting right behind her daddy. Who knew when the 2-year-old might decide to send a flying missile toward him? It had been Maddie’s passion to pick up rocks all day, from street side gravel to hefty chunks she tried to excavate on our jaunt down the hillside and around the pond. We were here at our granddaughter, Bethany’s home where she had proudly been showing us around their hilltop property.
“Yes, I’d feel better if she didn’t have it,” Jamie replied with a sigh. I pried the tomahawk-shaped rock from her fingers as gently as I could, smiling at her sweet baby face and speaking coaxingly to her, “Give Mimi the rock.” When she realized what I was up to, her face crumpled and transformed into one of disbelief and outrage. I quickly threw it away while she screamed louder.
“Give it back to her!” Jamie said resignedly. “I can’t stand it!” I retrieved it from the grass and put it back in her flailing palm. Instantly she calmed, with a only a bit of righteous indignation remaining and the redness around her eyes already beginning to fade and her face returning to pink and white. I felt bad for upsetting my temperamental red-haired granddaughter, but I would feel even worse if she hit my son! Hopefully they arrived back at their lodging safely.
We had all attended the wedding the night before for our second granddaughter, Sarah. Today we had spent sightseeing with other gathered family members, then after supper on the deck, we finished the evening around a campfire roasting marshmallows where, to my family’s amazement, I had my first taste of s’mores.
We’d had a glorious day, showing Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town, to those of us who’d never seen it. After lunching in a quaint eatery, where our group of 14 overwhelmed the staff, and the food was terrific but the service was not, we whiled away a couple of hours lolling beside a spring-fed stream. It was just in back of our daughter, Julie’s, art studio, and there were Adirondack chairs, a picnic table and lots of cool grass and dappled shade just right for that handy throw and pillow pulled from the car. There we enjoyed ice-cream cones, and of course Maddie collected rocks.
I’m wondering if she'll have one squirreled away in her pocket at Easter services back in Houston!
“Yes, I’d feel better if she didn’t have it,” Jamie replied with a sigh. I pried the tomahawk-shaped rock from her fingers as gently as I could, smiling at her sweet baby face and speaking coaxingly to her, “Give Mimi the rock.” When she realized what I was up to, her face crumpled and transformed into one of disbelief and outrage. I quickly threw it away while she screamed louder.
“Give it back to her!” Jamie said resignedly. “I can’t stand it!” I retrieved it from the grass and put it back in her flailing palm. Instantly she calmed, with a only a bit of righteous indignation remaining and the redness around her eyes already beginning to fade and her face returning to pink and white. I felt bad for upsetting my temperamental red-haired granddaughter, but I would feel even worse if she hit my son! Hopefully they arrived back at their lodging safely.
We had all attended the wedding the night before for our second granddaughter, Sarah. Today we had spent sightseeing with other gathered family members, then after supper on the deck, we finished the evening around a campfire roasting marshmallows where, to my family’s amazement, I had my first taste of s’mores.
We’d had a glorious day, showing Jonesborough, Tennessee’s oldest town, to those of us who’d never seen it. After lunching in a quaint eatery, where our group of 14 overwhelmed the staff, and the food was terrific but the service was not, we whiled away a couple of hours lolling beside a spring-fed stream. It was just in back of our daughter, Julie’s, art studio, and there were Adirondack chairs, a picnic table and lots of cool grass and dappled shade just right for that handy throw and pillow pulled from the car. There we enjoyed ice-cream cones, and of course Maddie collected rocks.
I’m wondering if she'll have one squirreled away in her pocket at Easter services back in Houston!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Road Not Taken
We went backward on our walk at the park today. No, I don’t mean we walked backward, we just took the path from the end and went to the beginning, instead of the other way around. It was an eye opener! We saw things from an entirely different view and it was refreshing. We had often met people on the path coming from that direction, but it was novel to come that way ourselves.
Actually, it’s good for you to do something a different way. I’ve read that it wards off Alzheimer’s to do something like trying to read a book upside down. Change awakens the mind and, I guess, creates new pathways in the brain (or at least helps neurons connect better).
We hear a lot about thinking outside the box. In other words, not the normal way of thinking about something. I got the chance to do that quite by accident last weekend when the power was off. When we moved here a few years ago, it was quite a challenge to curtain and drape the rooms, adapting what I had and keeping new purchases to a minimum. The bathroom window didn’t have a shade, so I had “temporarily” propped a painting in the window. It fit perfectly, and it was a translucent, hand-painted scene of clothes flapping on a clothesline. It had been in my laundry room at our former house.
Well, the house was too dark with no electricity that day, so I moved the painting to let more light in, setting it on an antique wash stand below the window. Hey, it looked good, there! The white-washed, weathered frame fit just right between the supporting posts of the wash stand’s towel rack. But now I would have to put something in the window. I spotted a couple of nice towels, never used, folded on top of the wash stand.
Hmm. I could fold the ends over, do a running stitch to make a pocket, slide a spring rod through them, and they would be perfectly appropriate for a window covering! I was dreading to look for bathroom curtains, anyway. I stitched them up this afternoon and was pleased with how they came out, even though they had to be folded almost double. Oh well, the backs would have excess fabric, but it wouldn't show. I accidentally hung them backwards, but the excess made a charming tiered appearance, so I left them. The bathroom looks much better!
Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I know this is talking about spiritual things, but I believe that God helps us, as Christians, to also think creatively with our renewed mind--to think outside the box.
Of course, one thing led to another, as I had to move the slate “Powder Room” sign from the top of the window to a new location on a towel hook where its blue, hand-painted motif picked up the color of a blue bird on an adjacent hand towel. And I found a home for a nautical rope-trimmed sign declaring “To Life Boats,” with an arrow pointing toward the bathtub. My creative mood extended to our supper meal, when I added homemade glazed carrots to our menu of Sour Cream Chicken and baked a Hoosier cake for dessert. Thank you, God, for creativity and a renewed mind.
Actually, it’s good for you to do something a different way. I’ve read that it wards off Alzheimer’s to do something like trying to read a book upside down. Change awakens the mind and, I guess, creates new pathways in the brain (or at least helps neurons connect better).
We hear a lot about thinking outside the box. In other words, not the normal way of thinking about something. I got the chance to do that quite by accident last weekend when the power was off. When we moved here a few years ago, it was quite a challenge to curtain and drape the rooms, adapting what I had and keeping new purchases to a minimum. The bathroom window didn’t have a shade, so I had “temporarily” propped a painting in the window. It fit perfectly, and it was a translucent, hand-painted scene of clothes flapping on a clothesline. It had been in my laundry room at our former house.
Well, the house was too dark with no electricity that day, so I moved the painting to let more light in, setting it on an antique wash stand below the window. Hey, it looked good, there! The white-washed, weathered frame fit just right between the supporting posts of the wash stand’s towel rack. But now I would have to put something in the window. I spotted a couple of nice towels, never used, folded on top of the wash stand.
Hmm. I could fold the ends over, do a running stitch to make a pocket, slide a spring rod through them, and they would be perfectly appropriate for a window covering! I was dreading to look for bathroom curtains, anyway. I stitched them up this afternoon and was pleased with how they came out, even though they had to be folded almost double. Oh well, the backs would have excess fabric, but it wouldn't show. I accidentally hung them backwards, but the excess made a charming tiered appearance, so I left them. The bathroom looks much better!
Paul tells us in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I know this is talking about spiritual things, but I believe that God helps us, as Christians, to also think creatively with our renewed mind--to think outside the box.
Of course, one thing led to another, as I had to move the slate “Powder Room” sign from the top of the window to a new location on a towel hook where its blue, hand-painted motif picked up the color of a blue bird on an adjacent hand towel. And I found a home for a nautical rope-trimmed sign declaring “To Life Boats,” with an arrow pointing toward the bathtub. My creative mood extended to our supper meal, when I added homemade glazed carrots to our menu of Sour Cream Chicken and baked a Hoosier cake for dessert. Thank you, God, for creativity and a renewed mind.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
That's Freaky!
Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. A friend wrote that while standing on a stool vacuuming a shelf, she let go of the extension for a minute and it flew into her face and suctioned a hickey on her cheek!
Another friend was definitely having a bad day when her truck caught on fire on the way to work. Next she said she managed to spill most of her soda into her new purse, then rushing to the sink to rescue the floating contents, she tripped over her foot and hit her head against a freezer!
That rang a bell with me, bringing flashbacks of what happened once at the doctor’s office. I had gone to the restroom and was washing my hands with my open purse still on my shoulder. Suddenly it slid down my arm and under the gushing faucet. To my horror, it began to rapidly fill with water, with sodden tissue, money, and things I didn’t even know I had in my purse floating to the top.
Frantically, and laughing hysterically, I dumped everything on the counter and began to dry off my wallet. Thankfully I found important cards dry in their plasticized covers and was able to wipe dry the photos that had gotten wet. I composed myself and walked out as though nothing had happened. Ironically, I had gone to the doctor for a clean bill of health, and came out with a clean purse, as well!
Even worse was the time I was trying to remove a small spot on an article of clothing. I had poured some bleach into a glass and diluted it slightly with water. Just as I began to blot the offending spot, the phone rang. I talked a while with my daughter, then still reflecting on our conversation and thirsty from talking, I unconsciously picked up the glass and drank of the contents. Something’s not right, my mouth told me! Horror gripped me as I realized what I’d done. I quickly spewed the stuff into the sink and rinsed my mouth. I called poison control, and they didn’t think it was enough to hurt me, but my insides must have gotten sterilized that day!
Life is fraught with the unpredictable, and thankfully we can look back and laugh most of the time. Kids keep their guardian angels busy, but I think a close second is found in the occupational hazards of the every day housewife.
Another friend was definitely having a bad day when her truck caught on fire on the way to work. Next she said she managed to spill most of her soda into her new purse, then rushing to the sink to rescue the floating contents, she tripped over her foot and hit her head against a freezer!
That rang a bell with me, bringing flashbacks of what happened once at the doctor’s office. I had gone to the restroom and was washing my hands with my open purse still on my shoulder. Suddenly it slid down my arm and under the gushing faucet. To my horror, it began to rapidly fill with water, with sodden tissue, money, and things I didn’t even know I had in my purse floating to the top.
Frantically, and laughing hysterically, I dumped everything on the counter and began to dry off my wallet. Thankfully I found important cards dry in their plasticized covers and was able to wipe dry the photos that had gotten wet. I composed myself and walked out as though nothing had happened. Ironically, I had gone to the doctor for a clean bill of health, and came out with a clean purse, as well!
Even worse was the time I was trying to remove a small spot on an article of clothing. I had poured some bleach into a glass and diluted it slightly with water. Just as I began to blot the offending spot, the phone rang. I talked a while with my daughter, then still reflecting on our conversation and thirsty from talking, I unconsciously picked up the glass and drank of the contents. Something’s not right, my mouth told me! Horror gripped me as I realized what I’d done. I quickly spewed the stuff into the sink and rinsed my mouth. I called poison control, and they didn’t think it was enough to hurt me, but my insides must have gotten sterilized that day!
Life is fraught with the unpredictable, and thankfully we can look back and laugh most of the time. Kids keep their guardian angels busy, but I think a close second is found in the occupational hazards of the every day housewife.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Book of Love
I saw a funny movie the other night about someone from the future who had unearthed a book from our time about love. It seems they had no concept of romantic love in their society, having developed a clinical, impersonal system of life, with reproduction being managed by labs and test tubes. His curiosity aroused, the hero managed to go back in time to find out about love. His insatiable desire to learn about it and experience it for himself made for an entertaining story, at the end of which he fell in love and decided to stay in the 21st century.
Thinking about the imaginative story line reminds me of our Bible Study last night, which dealt with developing a close relationship with God. The emphasis was on reading the Word, committing it to your heart, living by it and knowing God through it. Just as the fictional hero had his interest piqued by reading the book, so reading the Bible awakens our desire for knowing God more deeply. In speaking of the righteous, Psalms 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” He can’t get enough, and is always hungry for more.
John 1:1-3 tells us that the Word (Jesus) was there in the beginning with God, and was God, and that all things were made by Him. Verse 4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” The very essence of our life is Jesus! His life lights up our life in a way that no earthly relationship can. One man at the meeting last night said he appropriated that verse as also to mean sickness (darkness) had no place in his life and could not exist, just as darkness cannot exist with light!
In our study the Word was likened to a treasure. We are told in Luke 6:45 that it is out of the treasure of our heart that we bring forth good or evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If we don’t store up the Word of God and its precepts in our hearts, what will come out of our mouth?
Also, in Colossians 3:16 the Bible says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.” That is another way to reinforce the knowledge and love of God in our hearts and to share with others.
The Bible is often referred to as a mirror. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 3:18,“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” The more time you spend with someone, the more like them you become. You will probably get to where you even sound alike! The character in the movie may have come back in time to find out about love, but Jesus, who transcends time, was Love come to Earth to teach us how to love and be loved.
Thinking about the imaginative story line reminds me of our Bible Study last night, which dealt with developing a close relationship with God. The emphasis was on reading the Word, committing it to your heart, living by it and knowing God through it. Just as the fictional hero had his interest piqued by reading the book, so reading the Bible awakens our desire for knowing God more deeply. In speaking of the righteous, Psalms 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” He can’t get enough, and is always hungry for more.
John 1:1-3 tells us that the Word (Jesus) was there in the beginning with God, and was God, and that all things were made by Him. Verse 4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” The very essence of our life is Jesus! His life lights up our life in a way that no earthly relationship can. One man at the meeting last night said he appropriated that verse as also to mean sickness (darkness) had no place in his life and could not exist, just as darkness cannot exist with light!
In our study the Word was likened to a treasure. We are told in Luke 6:45 that it is out of the treasure of our heart that we bring forth good or evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If we don’t store up the Word of God and its precepts in our hearts, what will come out of our mouth?
Also, in Colossians 3:16 the Bible says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.” That is another way to reinforce the knowledge and love of God in our hearts and to share with others.
The Bible is often referred to as a mirror. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 3:18,“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” The more time you spend with someone, the more like them you become. You will probably get to where you even sound alike! The character in the movie may have come back in time to find out about love, but Jesus, who transcends time, was Love come to Earth to teach us how to love and be loved.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Reject Rejection in Favor of God's Favor
The minister yesterday was stressing that the righteous have favor with God. “You even have favor when you are not feeling particularly blessed,” he emphasized. He cited Joseph’s troubles: Joseph was blessed to be his father’s favorite, but in his brother’s rejection of him, he was sold into slavery. Yet Joseph had favor with Potiphar. Even after he had been falsely accused and cast into prison, he had favor with the keeper of the prison. Then he languished in prison waiting for the butler, whose dream Joseph rightly interpreted, to remember him to Pharoah. Finally that happened, and circumstances led to Joseph being second in command in all of Egypt.
The Bible is full of promises to the righteous. We may have down days when we don’t feel blessed, but truth be told, we still have the favor of God. Psalms 1:3, speaking of the righteous, says, “He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.” Have you ever had something turn out right, when you had little hope that it would? Many times I have toiled over a meal, worrying about its outcome, and yet things seemed to right themselves, with everyone enjoying the food and complimenting the cook! That was God’s favor.
When I look back, I know it was God’s favor that granted me my husband, and later my family. It was his favor that none of the children went astray and are strong Christians today. When Howard went into the ministry mid-career, we still had three of our six children at home to educate on a minister’s salary. One by one we watched as God provided for them.
Trevor just happened to walk into his school’s financial aid office and noticed they were having trouble with a computer program. He knew the program, offered help, was hired, eventually becoming Financial Aid Director, which led to his career with the Department of Education. God’s favor.
Our daughter, Amy, was enrolled in a state college, and we were about to incur considerable education costs, when she fell in love that summer, married that winter, and went to nursing school nearby, most of which was covered by her scholarships. Again, God’s favor.
The youngest, Benjamin, was awarded the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, paying all costs and even letting him study abroad his junior year. And it was God’s favor that kept him that year in France, granting him favor with the people (they thought he was French), a part-time teaching job, safety in travel and sustaining him in a serious bout of illness and many bouts of homesickness.
Look for God’s favor in your life. You are sure to see it if you just acknowledge it.
The Bible is full of promises to the righteous. We may have down days when we don’t feel blessed, but truth be told, we still have the favor of God. Psalms 1:3, speaking of the righteous, says, “He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper.” Have you ever had something turn out right, when you had little hope that it would? Many times I have toiled over a meal, worrying about its outcome, and yet things seemed to right themselves, with everyone enjoying the food and complimenting the cook! That was God’s favor.
When I look back, I know it was God’s favor that granted me my husband, and later my family. It was his favor that none of the children went astray and are strong Christians today. When Howard went into the ministry mid-career, we still had three of our six children at home to educate on a minister’s salary. One by one we watched as God provided for them.
Trevor just happened to walk into his school’s financial aid office and noticed they were having trouble with a computer program. He knew the program, offered help, was hired, eventually becoming Financial Aid Director, which led to his career with the Department of Education. God’s favor.
Our daughter, Amy, was enrolled in a state college, and we were about to incur considerable education costs, when she fell in love that summer, married that winter, and went to nursing school nearby, most of which was covered by her scholarships. Again, God’s favor.
The youngest, Benjamin, was awarded the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, paying all costs and even letting him study abroad his junior year. And it was God’s favor that kept him that year in France, granting him favor with the people (they thought he was French), a part-time teaching job, safety in travel and sustaining him in a serious bout of illness and many bouts of homesickness.
Look for God’s favor in your life. You are sure to see it if you just acknowledge it.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Storm Story
We had known the weather was threatening a thunderstorm when we went to bed, but were startled awake a little before midnight by the ringing of the phone. It was our son, Greg, with whom we’d spent the evening at a get-together for our grandson, Adam’s, 17th birthday. “Mom are you guys okay?” he asked anxiously. “There’s been a terrible storm over here!” They live only a dozen blocks away, but we must have slept through the disturbance.
He told me the noise had been terrific, with wind and hail, and the crashing of tree damage. “Do you have power?” he asked, “Ours hasn’t gone off, but it probably could.” I flipped the light switch, and sure enough, we had no power. Peering into the darkness out the window, I couldn’t discern any damage. Greg and his father had been concerned about a questionably-safe tree between our house and the neighbors, and had been planning to cut it down soon. “Did that tree fall on your neighbor’s car?” he questioned.
I would have to wait until morning to find out the tree hadn’t been blown down. Early risers, we couldn’t go into the kitchen, make coffee, or make an early breakfast as we sometimes did. We sat in the darkness reminiscing about experiences with hurricanes in Mississippi. Then when the sky grew less dark, we sat on the porch swing in the balmy air.
“Let’s go see if anything is open and get something to eat!” my husband suggested. Hurriedly dressing and without a light to put on makeup, I joined him in the car in a quest for breakfast. All was dark in our immediate neighborhood, but lit up along a main highway. Our hopes rose. Drawn along by the sight of the “golden arches” standing like a beacon, we pulled into the drive of Macdonalds. Several employees were staggered along the drive out front, and when we lowered the window a young lady said, “We have free coffee, but no food yet.” We gratefully took the coffee.
“Maybe the donut shop is open,” I ventured. There was a vehicle outside when we drove in, and we recognized a woman in pajamas as the owner. Howard asked if she had any donuts. She went in and brought out two pastries in a paper sack (which turned out to be sugar-sodden and so sweet we couldn’t eat them.)
“How much?” my husband asked, offering her two dollars, to which she generously replied, “Oh, just one’s enough.” It was typical of the air of conviviality that prevailed that morning. There were widespread outages along our route, and when we got home the electricity had not come back on.
Still hungry, we called a restaurant at the edge of town, and they were open. Nothing ever tasted so good! Evidently, a lot of other people thought so, too, judging by the record crowd at breakfast. Animated conversation flowed with words like “tornado,” “cellar,” and “no power” punctuating the air. We were all blessed to be safe, and about 11 o’clock, I was thankful to be able to call to my husband in our back yard, “The power is on!” It had been a long 12 hours.
He told me the noise had been terrific, with wind and hail, and the crashing of tree damage. “Do you have power?” he asked, “Ours hasn’t gone off, but it probably could.” I flipped the light switch, and sure enough, we had no power. Peering into the darkness out the window, I couldn’t discern any damage. Greg and his father had been concerned about a questionably-safe tree between our house and the neighbors, and had been planning to cut it down soon. “Did that tree fall on your neighbor’s car?” he questioned.
I would have to wait until morning to find out the tree hadn’t been blown down. Early risers, we couldn’t go into the kitchen, make coffee, or make an early breakfast as we sometimes did. We sat in the darkness reminiscing about experiences with hurricanes in Mississippi. Then when the sky grew less dark, we sat on the porch swing in the balmy air.
“Let’s go see if anything is open and get something to eat!” my husband suggested. Hurriedly dressing and without a light to put on makeup, I joined him in the car in a quest for breakfast. All was dark in our immediate neighborhood, but lit up along a main highway. Our hopes rose. Drawn along by the sight of the “golden arches” standing like a beacon, we pulled into the drive of Macdonalds. Several employees were staggered along the drive out front, and when we lowered the window a young lady said, “We have free coffee, but no food yet.” We gratefully took the coffee.
“Maybe the donut shop is open,” I ventured. There was a vehicle outside when we drove in, and we recognized a woman in pajamas as the owner. Howard asked if she had any donuts. She went in and brought out two pastries in a paper sack (which turned out to be sugar-sodden and so sweet we couldn’t eat them.)
“How much?” my husband asked, offering her two dollars, to which she generously replied, “Oh, just one’s enough.” It was typical of the air of conviviality that prevailed that morning. There were widespread outages along our route, and when we got home the electricity had not come back on.
Still hungry, we called a restaurant at the edge of town, and they were open. Nothing ever tasted so good! Evidently, a lot of other people thought so, too, judging by the record crowd at breakfast. Animated conversation flowed with words like “tornado,” “cellar,” and “no power” punctuating the air. We were all blessed to be safe, and about 11 o’clock, I was thankful to be able to call to my husband in our back yard, “The power is on!” It had been a long 12 hours.
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