Blessed

In the dark of the midnight

Have I oft hid my face

While the storms howl above me

And there’s no hiding place

Midst the crash of the thunder

Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over

Till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

~Mosie Lister

The song "Til the Storm Passes Over" has always been special to me, but even more so after experiencing Hurricane Ike over the past 24 hours. Our electricity went out for the 4th (or 5th, lol) and final time about 26-27 hours ago, so we packed it in and headed a mile or two away to my mom and dad's as 1) they still had power and 2) mom was fretting about us...

We spent the night in the 'new' room (now about 25 years old, lol) that has its own window unit so we had control of our temperature (they sleep at about 80 degrees.... we sleep about 12 degrees cooler than that, lol). About 3 this morning, their electricity went out as Ike passed through the area. About 3 hours later, Kari called to tell us that they had lost electricity, too, out in Waller where we will building a house this year on the back acre of the property we are buying with them... not only that, but Clementine, their part Blue Heeler, part Red Heeler, decided to have her puppies in the midst of the storm in their laundry room.... NINE puppies she had :) Of course the first boy is named Ike. Mama and babies are doing fine.

We slept a bit fitfully since we were hot - me especially after the power went off and Bo throw his part of the blanket over me :). Anyway, after his dad checked in with us at 8, he got up and went to check on our dogs and house. The wind was still blowing wildly enough I was a little concerned about his sanity... but he was on his way home when I texted him to check on him. We were still at mom and dad's when my sister called a bit after lunch and said that her daughter and son-in-law were at Costco in Austin and they had plenty of generators, and asked if we wanted him to get it and meet us halfway with it... so Bo and I hopped in the truck and drove to Buccee's in Giddings to meet him:)

As soon as they loaded the thing in our truck, Mom called and said that the power was back on at their house, lol - but at least now we have the generator we were planning to buy when we get our house built out by Kari and Garrett's!

In all of this, there has been, of course, a tad of discomfort, but I feel so very blessed. All of my family is safe. We have minimal property damage, consisting mostly of downed tree limbs in the yard. In both our neighborhoods, we spied trees on houses and cars, trees and limbs in the street, pieces of trees in our yards from God-knows-where.... but all the people (and pets) are safe... and now we have a generator to plug our refrigerator into, lol!

Hopefully our power will be restored within the next couple of days... I confess that I'm actually a bit more concerned about the water at the moment as there isn't enough to take a bath at the moment - this could get ugly! But I know that God will continue to hold us safe in the hollow of His hand. For all of you who have sent me emails that you are praying for our safety - thank you - it is appreciated, and if you know me, you know that I believe in the power of prayer.

"Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand
Keep me safe till the storm passes by"

I know that there will be other hurricanes - some even bigger and badder than Ike, but I am so blessed... and I know that God will continue to hold us in the hollow of His hand. Do you?