Grateful

They say you don't know what you've got till it's gone.  How true, how true.  This morning, the power went out.  My heart sunk. Then it came back.  Then it went out again...and stayed out.

From 8:30 am to 1:20 pm, we had no power. This gap in reality has made me realize how much I take electricity for granted.  I felt completely immobilized.  No computer, no music, no radio in the kitchen, no phone, can't open the fridge because I don't want to let the cold air out, can't use the microwave, and oh yeah, the toaster isn't working either.  I was officially roughing it.

So after dropping the babe off at school, the little guy and I went to the grocery store for non-perishable items.  The power was still out when we got home so I decided we should eat a lot of snacks from the cupboard and sit on the floor to play with toys. 

When the little guy's nap time came along I was a tad nervous.  No sound machine to block out the outside noise or fan to circulate the sticky air.  Amazingly he fell asleep without all our usual devices going at full speed.

I called my husband on my very low battery cell and asked him if he had a PEPCO status update and just as he was about to fill me in, the power came back on.  Sweet.  Things are again as they should be. 

How the heck did all those Moms of the past take care of their families without electricity?  In fact, how do all the Moms without electricity take care of their families present day?  Not to mention access to clean drinking water, healthy food, and quality medical care. With Mother's Day coming up, check out UNICEF's Inspired Gifts.  If you're looking for a gift idea for a special Mom in your life, this one would go far to help those Moms who are less fortunate.    

I am so blessed, and sometimes it takes a little inconvenience to just remember to count my lucky stars, even if it has been a gazillion degrees and we're not using our AC until we have the HVAC system cleaned out on Wednesday.  At least I can be hot and sticky with electricity.