Things I Learned From Storm 2011

I had originally intended to write a TOP FIVE THINGS I LEARNED list, but the more I mulled over what this storm has taught me, the more things I began to come up with. And then I realize one lesson was not more important than another, so there really was no way to rank them. So, in no particular order, these are the lessons I learned during the Great Storm of 2011:

* EJECTOR PUMP
       Prior to the storm I did not know what one was, what it was for, or that I even had one. For future reference, when my power goes out, I cannot run the water. Otherwise a tank fills up, cannot eject out to the sewer, and poop water fills my laundry room, therefore turning my house into a sewer. Fun times at 9:30 at night when there's no power and the kids are freaking out in their towels in a room barely lit by candles because mommy gave them a bath and didn't know it would make the house stink.
* MY NEIGHBORS ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE
      Who knew? In the almost year we've lived here, we haven't talked much to many of the neighbors. There's nothing like a natural disaster to bring everyone together. Turns out we live by some really great people, and hopefully now that we know them we will spend more time hanging out together.
* GOD WILL NOT GIVE ME MORE THAN I CAN HANDLE
     This was a really rough week. That's putting it mildly. Sleeping on the floor of the conference room where Ryan works with all the kids (while people were working), having the house covered in poo water and cleaning it up with no power, trying to use a borrowed generator that didn't end up working, running out of money, not being able to flush a toilet, Faith throwing up all over. . . Every time I thought I was about to break, God gave me strength and I managed to make it through this week in one piece.
* MY HUSBAND IS AMAZING
    I actually already knew this. But to see him rise to the challenge and be a strong, supportive provider for our family in a time of crisis made me fall in love with him all over again. He rocks my world.
* I HAVE WONDERFUL FRIENDS
   Who in the world would take in 4 kids and a stressed-out mom in a hotter than Hades mid-July power outage? The awesome Boyd family. I am forever in their debt.
* NO MATTER HOW WHAT HOME IS, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE IT
    My parents have a much nicer house than we do. I envy their backyard. But man, I was so happy to come back to my own house today. And I will be really happy when I finish typing this and crawl into my own bed.
* NO POWER IS OKAY--NO TOILETS IS NOT
   I can manage (even with 4 kids) to survive without lights, internet, AC, TV, fridge, microwave, fans, etc. But I draw the line at toilets. Apparently that was my limit. Didn't know that until this crisis. Thank you, power outage, for teaching me.
* I AM SCARY ADDICTED TO COFFEE
  Yep. Once I knew everyone was safe, my next concern was finding myself some coffee. Day 2 I went until 11:00 without any. That was the scariest day. Mommy must have coffee. Lesson learned.
* MY KIDS ARE RESILIANT
  They put up with a lot of craziness this week: sleeping in weird places, living out of bags, eating weird combinations of foods. . . But they did really well. I'm impressed. Nicely done, kiddos.
* THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS
   Each day is a flash of time, and every season comes to an end. If I get too caught up in the moment I'm in, I'll forget that it's not forever. In some cases, it's a blessing that each moment will pass, but other times I need to savor the moment.
* AS CLICHE' AS IT SOUNDS, EVERY CLOUD DOES HAVE A SILVER LINING
   Sometimes it's hard to see, but if we look hard enough, we can find surprises in the strangest places. Blessings come through tough times.

I certainly wouldn't want to relive this past week, but I know that in a year or two we'll be looking back on this crazy storm telling stories about it with smiles on our faces. God has a greater plan, and if we get too caught up in the trial of the day, we forget that there's a bigger picture. As I process the week, I can see that there were lessons I needed to learn. I hope they sunk in, because I don't want to be taught these lessons again any time soon!