I’m usually candid in my minute devotions I write but not so much in other ways, but today, I need to write of a vulnerability that may resonate with you.
The last week has been difficult. First, my husband and I got COVID a second time and in trying to recover from this, I find out my father passed away. On this same day, a terrible windstorm hit the coast of Maine and snapped our main power pole in half, leaving the transformer lying on the ground.
Because the weather in Maine is so unpredictable, our standby generator is a real blessing, but when our pole snapped, it wouldn’t start. Besides no power, there’s no water. Fortunately, we could find someone to come and look at the generator and he had a time trying to get it to go. After several adjustments, it was running, and he told us not to let it turn off because it won’t start again. He told us we need to buy a new one, which is several thousand dollars.
Our generator runs on LP. I put a call in and they tell us maybe they’ll be able to deliver it soon, but no guarantees. No LP, no running generator.
I went back to school, after taking a day or two to get better and grieve, and I break a crown off while eating. I call the dentist and he fits me in (thank goodness!) but he says I need a new crown and bridge in my mouth. As most of you know, the words “crown” and “bridge” add up to many thousands of dollars.
When I got home from the dentist, I took a chance and called the power company to find out when they might set a new pole and transformer so we can get back to “normal” and they said they had been trying to reach us and haven’t been able to. (Our phone line is down, too.) They told us last night that we have to find someone to come and set the pole (and buy it, too), buy a transformer (because we are on a private line–the end of a road where the electricity service ends) and THEN they will come and hook us up.
Both Randy and I sat down and just looked at each other. Tears were been rolling down my cheeks and I asked God how much more can I take?
It was a while before I could sit back and thank God for what he has given us. That we have so many things to be thankful for, so I spent some time this morning thanking God.
We still don’t have power. We’re still coughing a little. I still do not have a way to chew food on one side of my mouth. The power pole is still snapped in half with a transformer on the ground. The old generator is still running, though it has hiccups now and then. We have a new generator that is scheduled to be put in place on Saturday, Lord-willing, and I’m still battling anxiety BUT I can still be thankful.
I hope this encourages some of you who find yourself in difficult circumstances.
