The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

 

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all. ~Acts 4:33

We rarely lose our electricity where we live.  Oh, sure, we get a few blips and brief episodes from time to time, but nothing to even make us think that we should invest in a generator for the house.  We are most fortunate, indeed.

Fortunate, that is, until a week ago Sunday.  At around 5:30 that evening, Danny is just getting ready to prep for dinner when BOOM!  Not only do the lights go out, but we sustain some eerie electrical pulses that are downright scary.  Danny rushes to unplug our computers, hoping that said pulses haven't already fried the wiring.  Whew!  Thankfully, they survive the shock, but we are left in the dark (yes, pun intended).

What to do?  Both of us have had a long day and our stomachs are getting restless.  Lunch seems to be light years in the past, and cooking is now out of the question.  Danny declares that we'll simply have to go out to eat if we want to have anything decent.  That's okay by me, except for two reasons: 1) What happens if we can't find a restaurant with power? and 2) Neither one of us is comfortable driving in the dark.

Danny reminds me that while our neighborhood is serviced by Georgia Power, many others in the local environs subscribe to another electricity provider, Cobb EMC.  He is sure we can find some place that is up and running just fine.  The only obstacle now, it seems, is getting our garage doors open without the automatic assistance we're so accustomed to.  Turns out, they are no match for Dan-the-Man with an engineering degree from Georgia Tech!

We drive through our dusky neighborhood, made gloomier by overcast skies and no lights in sight.  But as soon as we turn onto the main road leading to Kennesaw proper, the promise of maintained power welcomes us and fills us with renewed hope.  Danny's original idea is to head toward Highway 41, but when we get to downtown Kennesaw, only a mile or so from our home, we decide to try a new, for us, restaurant whose facade is pictured above.  Yes, it's pricey, but we rationalize not having eaten out for Valentine's Day, and the short distance back to the house, makes this a worthwhile venture in every way.

We are not disappointed!

We split an entree of mahi-mahi tacos and fries - delicious!  And our waiter gives us excellent service without hovering as is the case in some places we have dined.  We enjoy every morsel of our meal and will most definitely return there in the future for a special occasion.

By the time we're ready for the drive back home, we wonder if the electricity will be there to greet us.  Lo and behold, as we enter our neighborhood and see lights in all the houses, it has!  No LED flashlights nor lanterns required, and full stomachs to boot.

What first appeared to be a power catastrophe becomes a powerful memory, and we are so grateful to God for His powerful light shines eternally shines into our lives and our hearts.

Amen!