the scriptorium

Monday, February 17, 2003

Aaaaaahhhh...... I'm back to gettin' my "fix." My land line phone has been in and out for the last two days, due to an ice storm that hit Kentucky Saturday night. My power was out from about 3:15 AM to 7:30AM Sunday morning, so I wasn't affected too much by the power outage. Thank God that I am warm and dry and have adequate power to cook, etc. However, the phone line being out meant I couldn't blog or surf on Sunday! I found out just how spoiled I am. Matt and his housemate, Joseph, ended up spending the night at the Creeches', due to the fact that they have no power and their basement is flooded. It appears that they will end up there again tonight, as well. The authorities are saying that it could be several days before everyone gets electricity and phone service back. Most of the shelters in town are full to capacity, and so are most of the hotels. I have begun to hear tales of price-gouging of fuel and heaters by a couple of local merchants. Anyone inclined to do so, please pray for Lexington and its residents.

I wish I had a digital camera so that I could take pictures of all the downed trees all covered in ice. There's a kind of wild, savage beauty to them. Even as you look at all the damage and realize what a mess it is, there's just an awesomeness as well. A light dusting of snow fell last night, so all the frozen trees look frosty white and twisted. It's pretty cool if you're not a homeowner with a smashed car underneath.

My parents, up in Eastern KY, are dealing with a different scenario. There are lots of flooded areas where they live, and people displaced because of high water. Thank God my folks' house is in an elevated area and they have no basement, but my aunt's house just a few miles down the road is flooded. So it's not so pretty anywhere you go around here right now.

I wanted especially to blog yesterday because I wanted to share with you a post from Laurie Chalmers' blog, where she shares a forwarded email she received the other day. You know the type, where someone sends it to all their friends and then they send it to all their friends, etc. Usually the ones like this that I get are kinda cheesy, and you may think this one is, too, but I was struck by it. So I'm sharing it. Here's an excerpt:

"...the three kids and I were in the very front row, and had an extraordinary experience with President Bush. Bush came along and shook Chris's hand first, noticing that he was all dressed up, and said, "You're looking sharp today, boy!" Chris was SO PROUD and SO PLEASED at the recognition (if only GW had known what a struggle I'd had to get him to wear a jacket and a tie)! Then he shook my hand and I told him how much we value his strong leadership at this time, that we are 100% behind him. He went on and took the girls' hands and talked to them. Then I leaned over and mentioned that we pray for him every day. He stopped dead in his tracks (a definite security NO-NO... the SS men got REAL Yantsy). He searched my eyes as if to see how much I really meant what I was saying. Then he gave me the most amazing and unexpected personal response, Paul said for a good 20-30 seconds. He told me what the effect has been on him, waking up every day of the crisis and knowing within himself that he is being faithfully prayed for. He almost pleaded with me not to give up, but to persist with it, for this is only the beginning. Then he looked me even more squarely in my eyes, and gave me a very personal and specific series of instructions about the very things he most needs prayer for, on behalf of himself and of the nation."

I know there are probably people out there who think that I'm just a GWB groupie at this point, and maybe I am. Maybe I just so desperately want for us to finally be led by a man that takes God into account even the tiniest bit before acting, that I am making GWB into something that he isn't. Reading things like this, though, I really don't think so.

posted by #Debi at 6:43 PM | permalink | 0 comments