The Blackness Of The Night

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I didn't know it was coming until a couple of days before. We heard that a lot of snow was headed our way. We were told it could be the biggest blizzard in over twenty years. Maybe even longer, to tell you the truth, I don't remember...I do remember that everyone was predicting an epic blizzard. Thankfully we had already done our grocery shopping and we were stocked with the essentials.

The day came. There was a quiet stillness as the first snowflakes blanketed the earth. It was the calm before the storm by all definition.

Steve and I were ready to make the best out of an uncertain event. We wanted the girls to feel comfortable and relaxed about the whole thing without any worries. We lost power at about seven-thirty that evening and made sure to light candles in every part of the house. What would we do without power? Funny how electricity is always taken for granted. I thought of the early pioneers and remembered a documentary that we had seen just days before. Many settlers went to sleep at five-thirty in the evening because there was nothing else to do. They would wake at about midnight and visit with neighbors. What would we do?

Just before we lost power I challenged Steve and Alexa with a dare. Run out in the frigid cold without a coat. Steve was up for the dare and walked casually to the mailbox and back, as if he did it all the time. Alexa was a bit more dramatic as with many things!.....Mama, well, mama's smart, I simply said, "No thanks."

This was taped just before we lost our power.






Later on, the girls settled down with lots of blankets, some chips and a movie. Normally it would be popcorn, but without power we had to compromise. Thankfully our portable DVD player was charged and the girls were able to enjoy a movie by candlelight, Ramona and Beezus. Steve laid across one sofa and me on the other as we listened to the wind blow and watched the white sky. The candles flickered as the quietness was interrupted by sudden outbursts of laughter and booms of thunder (snow thunder and lightning). We sat there and waited for the power to return. As the hours passed I wondered where we would sleep. Should we camp out in the living room or should we pile up in our bed?  I pondered our sleeping arrangements as the temperature dipped lower and lower.





I saw that Steve's eyes were fighting to stay open as he lay on the love seat. I stubbornly insisted he take the larger sofa and he refused (always the gentleman). I finally convinced him that the idea of sleeping together on the bed would be the best option. Alexa was less enthused but complied because she wasn't willing to sleep alone in the living room. Steve gathered Alayah up his arms and we all found places on the bed. Even though we have a king-sized bed, we still opted to lay horizontally. We snuggled up. Alayah still fast asleep, Steve snoring not so softly, Alexa and I listening to our mp3 until sleep won us over.




I don't remember what time it was when I crawled awkwardly out of bed. I just remember my curiosity was more than I could bare. How cold was it in the house? I walked downstairs in layers of fleece and to my surprise it was 52 degrees in the house!! The coolest we allow, well I should say the coolest Steve likes it to be, is about 67. So it was significantly cooler in the house. We calculated that the power had been out for about twelve hours at this point and we started to get more concerned. Would we need to get a hotel room? Perhaps they were out of power as well. We could do nothing but wait. Even if we had another option, getting the car out of the garage would be a feat that could take the remainder of the day (which it did, by the way).

At the fourteenth hour our lights shone bright and the heater loudly woke from its slumber. We have power! We have power! We let out a sigh of relief and went about our day like any other day.

I later found out that the majority of our town had power! Really!! I felt duped, jipped, a little resentful even a little jealous. I also learned that several homes in my immediate neighborhood even had power....

....But days later, I reminisced. The blizzard will forever remain one of my most cherished memories as a family of four. I have already looked back at those evening's events with much fondness. Running through the freezing air without coats on a dare; gathering every candle we own to illuminate the blackness; piling mounds of blankets on the floor to mask the coolness; listening to the cracking of thunder and enjoying a light show too spectacular to duplicate; huddling together in mom and dad's bed while the wind continued to whip the whiteness to and fro.

Many others missed out due to the distractions of electrical power. But we, we were blessed to lose our power. Could it be that God planned a special evening to spend with us? I'd like to think so. Maybe it's the romantic in me, I don't know. But I know this much for sure, my girls will always remember the blizzard of 2011. They will remember the moments shared together in the blackness of the night.