The Inevitable and the Incredible by Susan L.

It had to come. Six days of heat wave were lifted as two waves of massive thunderstorms swept through late yesterday afternoon. I've never seen anything like it. A couple of trees blew down, snapped like pencils in the wind, across the power lines in my back yard. The transformer blew with a mighty flash. I've no power. The house is okay. Not too sure about the shed, it's buried. Its days were numbered anyways. I started bailing the sump pump pit in the basement by hand but soon realized it would be an all night endeavour and for who knows how long. The hydro repair folks are probably swamped by other downed trees and snapped lines. Our situation is safe: away from roads and pedestrians. I raced out to the store to buy a small gas generator to power the pump. Just as I was about to get gas for it, I remembered I'd left a burning candle on my dusty workbench. My heart was in my throat as I sped home, fearing the house would be burning. It wasn't but it sure shook me up! I woke in the night (a rare event) in time to put more gas into the generator. I woke up this morning to find it had stopped but in time to fire it up again. The basement was still dry. My heart and soul is full of gratitude this morning on so many levels: for the candle, for the money to get what I needed, for the neighbours who helped set up everything, for the Divine alarm clock, for a refreshingly cool morning and for a good cup of coffee from Tims. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." Phil 4:23