Let There Be Light!

It's something we all take for granted
Something we rarely even think about
It's something we barely even notice
Until we have to go without

Without it, your food will spoil
Your normal tasks become a toil
In darkness you grasp at things
You're hopeless without it's means

I could go on and on, but this is just a little "freestyle" intro to the surprise that awaited me when my family and I returned from my daughter's softball game this evening. Our house was nearly dark; all the lights were out. "What happened?" I exclaimed. "I know I paid that bill!" I called my neighbor who lives a few doors down, and interestingly, she still had power. I peered out of my window and noticed the street lights were still on, and the neighborhood pretty much looked undisturbed. WITW? Am I the only one who was affected by this sudden outage? I wondered.

After an immediate call to the power company, I settled in the family room with my children and some scented, lit candles, a flashlight and said a prayer. Geesh, Lord, really? I have an assignment that is due tonight, and I really need my computer. Tonight of all nights, why did the power have to go out? I thought to myself.

Not long after, the power company pulled onto my street with two oversized trucks and several workers. "They're here, they're here!" my four-year old cheered. He doesn't know much about lights and electricity or their functions, but he knew these guys looked like they could fix our problem. This got me to thinking about how many things we take for granted. I mean, who really appreciates having electricity until you don't have it? You go into the bedroom, flip the light on, never thinking to yourself, "What if this light doesn't come on." We need electricity. I mean, really, really need it. Thank God for the utility workers!

This brings me to my final thought (sorry, nothing profound this time!). How often do we take the time to appreciate the men and women who work tirelessly (in the middle of the night even) to ensure our comforts? As we watched out of a bedroom window the men working quickly and carefully, I thought of how they risk their lives every day so we can have light. My heart was tenderized to their sacrifice. So after they finished working (hey, I needed to make sure they did the job right!), I ran outside and yelled, "Thank you, thank you!" over the loud humdrum of their trucks.

A simple "You're welcome" was all they said. But I knew in my heart, they walked a little taller tonight knowing they had restored light to a family in need. So the next time you flip a switch, open a nice cold can of soda or take a hot shower, how about saying a little prayer of thanks for all the little things we take for granted. Let there be light! And there was light.