Power Outage

Scheduled power outage happened on Monday.

Helpful that we’d been forewarned by an automated phone call. Outage to happen between 8 a.m. and noon. Our local electric company would be replacing a pole that would affect our valley.

The power went off at 8:15. Kindness.

Lights went out and refrigerator stopped humming. No noise. Even the birds grew still and silent. We drank in the hush for an hour.

see a neighbor, we came across a couple talking in a stalled truck. They were looking for property for sale. My husband popped out of the truck and walked the property line with them. He could have been a realtor. I turned down the invite and stayed put with a book.

After a short visit with the neighbor, we headed for town to do errands.

Halfway there, we came upon a flock of white boom trucks and pickups encircling a pole, hard hats, vests, working men. All this, on a sharp curve on Hwy 201.

“Stop, stop, stop,” I said to my husband as I dug in my purse for a camera. He came to a halt. I wanted a photo. One worker waved us on, but not before my husband took a photo of workers at work.

“Appreciate you!” my husband called out the window.

A man waved his hardworking hands as if directing an orchestra.

Why did this stay with me for days and days? I opened my soul to it. It was the image. Powerful.

Public work, being done by public servants. Blue-collar workers being a team, trying to make something helpful happen. Everyone working together toward one goal.

I thought of the helpers where hurricanes and earthquakes had recently rampaged. I thought of Mother Teresa. I thought of Jesus bent in service to His people.

What was in front of us was seeable, believable. The workers seemed like soldiers erecting a flag after conquering a hill.

I felt proud.

The man sitting beside me certainly related to such men and women having to work hard, missing family time, dealing with danger, working as a team, serving others.

On toward town, we were quiet like the birds earlier. Thanksgiving grew in our hearts.

We had respect for those serving, for the working man/woman, for America.

I now had a strong image of local heroes.

Thank you, Father God.

May all servants everywhere be blessed.

Pat Durmon

patdurmon.com

P.S. Kindest friend, comments are always welcome.

Photo by Jimmy Durmon of local heroes on Highway 201 near Mountain Home, Arkansas, Sept 25, 2017.