Look for the Blessings

Well, we survived!  Hurricane Irma came and went.  And although we were left with no power and are still recovering, she left us with many, many blessings.  And if you choose to look for them, they are all around.  Here is just a few of the many blessings we've seen:

No matter how hot you are, a cold shower is still really cold.  It's amazing how your perspective changes in a situation like this.  Our first night without power, the shower was super cold.  Chilling.  Freezing.  And tonight, our second night, we had several friends offer their hot showers to us.  But guess what we did?  As a family, all four of us realized that, while a hot

shower might be nice if you had air conditioning, a freezing cold shower was actually just what we wanted as we headed to bed.  The cold shower makes the hot night more bearable.  So, for cold showers.....we are blessed!  (For that matter, we have running water.....we are blessed!)

We've passed the 72 hours mark without power, and are still going.  This has forced me to slow down (something I'm not very good at).  Over the past three days, I've practiced my faux calligraphy.  I sat on our front porch and read a book (Auggie & Me).  I learned that our front porch is super cute and quite comfortable!  So, for my front porch and time to slow down....we are blessed!

My boys have gotten very creative!  Normally, they wake up and turn on the TV.  But this week, they've woken up and made fun little "books" with computer printer paper.  They've played Monopoly, Life, Candyland and EggedOn.  They've colored pictures, made marble mazes and played pool.  They've had Nerf Gun wars.  They've played Four Square.  So for time away from screens....we are blessed!

We have had the opportunity to help others who were much more affected by Hurricane Irma than we were.  We've cleaned up yards, collected donations for affected families, purchased supplies for relief efforts. We have lived the second commandment, "Love your neighbor as yourself."  For being in a position to help others....we are blessed!

We live in the best neighborhood around!  Not only did everyone come together to share supplies and tools to make sure we were all prepared, but the day after the storm passed, we walked outside to find our neighbors had already started clearing the street and were working in our yard!  Unbelievable!  Then, that evening (and without power) one neighbor brought over a huge dish of Spanish Pork and Rice.  As she handed it to use, she said "I thought y'all might want a warm meal."  She had prepared this amazing dish over her grill and made a ton extra for us.  So, for our neighborhood....we are blessed!

Just before the Hurricane came, we set out our fall decorations, one of which is a super cute wreath a friend made...because I had lost patience trying to make it.  To prepare for the storm, we took the wreath down.  And once the storm passed and cleanup began, we were able to put it back out.  I knew it was cute when she gave it to me, but it wasn't until after the storm, when I hung it back up and realized it really is cute and makes our front porch look just perfect!  So, for creative and crafty friends....we are blessed!

A day after the storm, after we finished our cleanup, we stopped by our best friends' house to check in.  Without power, we hadn't had coffee and didn't have any cokes on hand.  Between the pressure and no caffeine, Chris and I both had terrible, nagging headaches.  When we got to Lydia's house, she graciously let us raid her fridge and grab two cold Diet Cherry Cokes.  Ahhhh, hit the spot and miraculously got rid of our headaches!  Before the storm I wouldn't have even thought much about it, but at that moment, nothing meant more to us than a cold splash of caffeine!  So for best friends and caffeine.....we are blessed! 

So, while we are still without power, we are blessed, because we choose to look for the blessings!