This week, in my part of Texas, the temperatures are going to be in the 60s. There’s sunshine outside my windows, and the snow has all melted.

After last week’s record-breaking weather conditions, these days are welcomed.

My husband and I woke up early Monday morning, on February 15^th, to no electricity. . .and a cold like we have never seen before. Outside a blanket of white covered everything on top of the freezing rain that had fallen the day before. And we faced a situation that we’d never experienced before. Record temperatures that reached a low of 4 degrees and cold that was in the teens for days. Along with the weather, we went through days of rolling blackouts. Many lost power for most of the week along with water. It became a matter of survival at that point. Some people ended up sleeping in their cars to stay warm.

As you look at the pictures my husband took of our place, you’re probably thinking that doesn’t look so bad, and it wouldn’t have been except for the loss of power to heat homes and water to drink.

Some lost their lives.

In the days following, as the temperatures rose above freezing and the snow began to melt, the stores quickly emptied of essentials. Many stations ran out of gas. Still, Texas is slowly getting back to normal.  

As we emerge from the deep freeze of 2021, I am grateful. God brought us through with a new appreciation for what truly is important. Through the rolling blackouts when the power was out and the cold crept in, I was reminded that if I have Him holding my hand, I could get through whatever came my way.

I pray for those who lost loved ones to the cold. I ask God to give them His comfort, and that their loved ones’ sacrifice will shine a light on things that need to change.

And I hope all of you are doing okay in your part of the world today.

Blessings,

Mary Alford

http://www.maryalford.net