Our Texas Winter Wonderland – Through it All

As a kid, I remember snowy days. We prayed for them. No school! Getting to play in the snow! I DON’T remember days like this. Rotating outages is something new. At least there was an emergency plan like this in place for times like this – though in Texas, I’m sure they never thought they’d ever have to activate that plan. Hindsight really is 20/20. I know they feel that way at my new apartment home in Austin. I’ve been getting emails from them as though I already live there. Little issues are always found with new construction where the builder must return and tweak this or that. But, in their case, it seems some big issues: "POWER STILL OUT: CITY OF AUSTIN CURRENTLY DOES NOT HAVE AN ESTIMATE ON WHEN IT WILL RETURN. The community is currently without power, phone service and hot water. We will be checking on residents and going door to door. Please remain inside if at all possible. If power does return we recommend not using the elevators because the power grid may be unstable. Bundle up, stay safe." Maybe my stay-over in Frisco a few extra days isn't so bad after all! Yesterday morning I go to the fridge for a glass of water. Nada. I turn on the faucets at the sinks. Zilch. OH NO! I think: “The pipes must be frozen.” Payton, my realtor and grandson, sends me the directions for thawing out pipes. I bundle up and walk around the house. I see no evidence of burst pipes. But I do see hanging on the door this sign: “Meter turned off at your request”. I remember. This is the day I requested the water to be taken out of my name. I assumed the new owner would have applied for water service before closing. I call the City of Frisco and give them the low-down. Within an hour they come back and turn it back on. A dear friend texted me that the temperature in her home this morning is 46-degrees. Her furnace switch didn’t switch with the rotating outages last night. My son called and many of his Austin employees had to go to hotels or friends’ homes because of pipes breaking or heaters failing. Typically, when “troubles” hit home -- it’s all about us and our concerns. When it’s others who are having troubles, it is human nature to care little about their problems because their troubles don’t really affect us. But, these are times of “muscle” training. Our faith and trust muscles. How can we adequately console others if we never have any problems ourselves? We know that “tough times don’t last but tough people do” so we get to learn our lessons well at times like this when we’re facing difficulties. It causes us to toughen up and become better at understanding and empathizing with others when they are going through tough times. Lines from Andrea Crouch’s song “Through it All” speak to me as I type this blog today: “I thank God for the mountains / And I thank Him for the valleys / I thank Him for the storms He brought me through / For if I'd never had a problem / I wouldn't know God could solve them / I'd never know what faith in God could do. / Through it all / Through it all / I've learned to trust in Jesus / I've learned to trust in God / Through it all / Through it all / I've learned to depend upon His Word.” "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians 1:4