Post Ike

As I mentioned yesterday, I have LOTS of stories from our Hurricane Ike experience. Some good, some not so good things that happened, things I learned from the storm, etc.

As weird as it sounds (and my sister almost disowned me for feeling this way!) I truly wanted to “experience” a hurricane. We heard so much about straight line winds, howling winds and rain, etc. that I wanted to be able to say “I survived Ike”. Bill joked that I just wanted another t-shirt with that slogan on it. In the end, we stayed….I heard the winds and the rain and it was like nothing I had ever heard before. It really is beyond description. Now Bill is giving me a hard time for sounding like an “experienced” hurricane survivor when I say “well, I went through a Category 2 hurricane….I’d definately evacuate for a Cat 3”. Hopefully we won’t see another storm like that in Houston again for a really long time, if ever….but while it is fresh in my memory (and I don’t think I will ever forget those 11 days without power!) I want to record some IKE thoughts.

My favorite hurricane story came on Day Eleven of no electricity. By this time, I really did feel like I was going crazy. We were hot, we were tired, the kids were cranky (no TV, webkinz, or Wii for 2 weeks!), we were frustrated looking for candles or flashlights in the dark and we really needed to do a load of laundry. So the morning of Day 11, I called my parents house just to give the daily “no power yet” update. They’d answer their phone with an expectant…“Power?!?” and I’d say “no, not yet.”

On this particular day I got my dad. I joked with him that I really wished he’d send down some Hurricane Relief Assistance to Houston because we were starting to feel like forgotten Ike victims. Now I should tell you before I go on that my dad is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. In Arkansas there is not a professional football team and so the entire state considers themselves Razorback “hog” fans. I grew up that on game day Saturdays everywhere you looked all over town, there was a sea of red. Red shirts, red hats, Razorback flags flying, you name it. Football is big there and it’s all about the hogs. So, my dad said he wished that he could send down some help and we hung up.

Now, I am NOT making this up! I literally hung up the phone and walked outside and saw a power company truck driving towards our house. I started jumping up and down cheering. As it drove up I saw that right there on the front of the truck was….an Arkansas Razorback “hog fan” liscense plate. All 4 guys in the truck had just been sent down from Arkansas and they spent the rest of the day restoring our power.

I was absolutely giddy! I told them about how I had just been asking my dad in Arkansas for some help and lo and behold I walk out and up drives a power truck from Arkansas. Bill told them I’d call the hogs for the whole neighborhood when the power came back on (I did not, although I did think I heard the Hallelujah Chorus playing in my head when I heard that they flipped the switch).

It was truly one of those “ask and you shall receive moments.” I wanted my dad to send down some help and within minutes help was there. How much like our heavenly father is that? He so wants us to call on Him and to refresh us with His presence and His blessings.

I think God cracks up….the Bible says that “he delights in us”….and I think He delighted…or it cracked Him up to send THAT truck at THAT time. It was almost as if He was saying…“I’ve got this thing covered!”