If you’re from Texas or have heard the news, you’ll know last week’s winter storm shut down the Lone Star state. Millions of people were left without electricity. Many Texans attempted to stay warm by bundling under layers of blankets, huddling close to fireplaces, living inside their car, or finding shelter in warming centers.
To make matters worse, the extreme cold temperatures caused pipes to break. Many people were left without water and boil-water notices were issued. Also, many struggled to find food as shelves in grocery stores quickly emptied out.
Living through this storm was difficult. Like so many people I know, we lost power. The few times the power did come on it was only for an hour or so. Racing time to charge our devices, warm up food, and turn on the heater to warm up our apartment became a game of gotta catch ’em all.
To keep our food from spoiling, we looked to nature as our fridge. We put our groceries inside all the lunch bags we could find and placed them out on the balcony.
Although the brutal winter storm might have passed, its effects are far from over. Some people are still without power and water. There is extensive property damage everywhere. And, so many people have sadly lost their lives.
This frigid week was a terrible one, but I can’t complain. I had family and friends who made sure we were doing okay. We didn’t have everything we wanted, but we had everything we needed.
Kindness comes in so many forms. For us, it was an extended invitation from loved ones who were willing to take us in. It was a text from a friend checking in on us. It was having each other.
As I think of everything that’s happened this past week, I pray for everyone who suffered through this, and I hope this disaster will come to a conclusion for all of us soon.
Life: Crossed Out and Rewritten 