by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites
I’m writing my column from my 83-year-old mom‘s house, which happens to be about ten minutes away from my home, because power has not been restored yet in my house. We’re three days post-Helene ravaging our country as I write. Were you affected by this dreadful storm?
So many in our great nation have suffered devastating losses due to hurricane Helene. It will take a while to recover. But as the saying goes, and one I firmly believe, nothing catches God by surprise. God knew about the winds and the waves, calms the winds and the waves, and always always brings good out of devastation.
I’m so grateful power was restored to my mom‘s home for a number of reasons. Obviously because of her age and health, I wanted power restored there long before my house. She stayed with my brother in the next county over the night of the storm because he has a generator.
I’ll admit I have a lot of selfish reasons for being so grateful for her restoration. On top of my priority list quite possibly was a nice warm shower. Because we’re on well water, once we lose electricity then we might have two good flushes and half a shower left in the well before the water stops pouring.
I’m grateful to be able to move over a few items that didn’t spoil to my mom‘s refrigerator for us to cook in the next couple of days.
Though it’s not as hot outside as some of the storms we’ve faced during hurricane season in the summer, I’m also very grateful for air conditioning. I know – first world problems, but I am grateful. My financially-strapped family grew up in south Georga without air-conditioning, but I have certainly become spoiled as an adult.
I am also extremely grateful for the capability to have cell phone service and Internet opportunities. You see, my husband and I have huge deadline for educational books we’re working on. And though I’m sure my editors and publishing house would be very compassionate and empathetic with all that’s happening in this part of our country, not meeting our deadline will throw production schedule off, possibly for a whole year.
One of my favorite writing profession perks is the ability to write from home. But not just at home – in recent days, to be able to work in the lobby of a hotel in our downtown, ravaged city. One of the few hotels that had power and Internet capabilities. It wasn’t the hotel we spent the night in, because there were no rooms available in this one. Ours was a few miles down the road closer to the center of town but had no Wi-Fi.
I love that I had the opportunity to sit in the upstairs dining area of our Publix grocery store following the storm and work on my book projects. Every cashier line snaked down the aisles of the grocery store for people desperately trying to find food. I sat upstairs and pecked away computer keys.
At one point in the day, I sat in the parking lot of our closed Chick-fil-A, because though they had no power to prepare food, I tapped into the opportunity to research the Internet on my phone.
I’ve known for a long time that the mobility of my laptop was an extra special perk of writing, because I’ve often met deadlines while being at one of my children’s homes, at a writers conference, on vacation, or many other places, I never dreamed I would try to meet a deadline the day after a hurricane.
The large oak tree that’s laying on my porch roof and splintered the railing of my porch will have to wait. We’ve checked to make sure it didn’t puncture the roof. The sticks and limbs covering my yard will have to wait. And the other trees in the backyard that were pushed over like pick-up sticks will have to wait.
The contents of my refrigerators and freezers couldn’t wait, so we did take a break from our deadline to get those cleaned out and tossed in dumpsters.
And a phone call to our insurance adjuster couldn’t wait either. I stayed on hold – like so many who were facing such dreadful and devastating losses – while sitting in that hotel lobby mentioned above, a hotel lobby where I was not even a registered guest but had been given permission to work and pecked away towards my deadline.
Writers are creative for sure. And I most certainly had to find creative ways to try to meet a deadline following hurricane Helene.
I don’t know where you are in relation to this dreadful storm, but please know that I am praying for your swift recovery, whatever that might look like. March on fellow writers, and keep packing away at the keyboard to meet deadlines. God bless your home and your family. May God bless your home and your family with whatever storm of life you’re facing.
Join the conversation and tell us some of the unusual places you’ve worked on a writing project. And don’t stop praying for our writing comrades who are facing storm-related challenges.
TWEETABLE
This post is the definition of perseverance. Wow.
ReplyDeleteSo thankful you and your family are alright!
Yes, prayers, supplications and requests, with thanksgiving continue for all those impacted by the — now 2 — hurricanes.