The Power Went Out

Wednesday night, the power went out in our entire neighborhood—some 1,000 homes. Without the TV (Who was going to get kicked off on AI?) or internet, or anything, my neighbors started to gather in the street. We have a friendly outgoing neighborhood anyhow, but there's nothing like a power outage to bring folks together.

At first it was the usual speculation about what happened, how long it was going to be out, what we were missing, and wait, did anyone call the power company? Some kids were still awake but mine, fortunately had just been put down at 8pm, about 15 minutes before the power went out. Some kids, though, were playing with their flashlights outside and most adults were having a drink and chatting.

Then, one of my neighbors, Brett, who only moved in about three weeks ago, pulled out the largest telescope I’ve seen owned by someone other than the planetarium…and he used the GPS that the telescope is compatible with to orient it to Saturn. We clearly saw Saturn and its rings. Then we spent some time looking at Jupiter and some of its moons. Brett knows quite a bit about astronomy and was able to tell us so much about the planets and stars that it made me wish the power would go out at least once a week.

Not a bad way to spend an evening.

Mom

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about moms, grandmothers and all that it means to hold a tiny baby in your arms. Maybe it was because my “tiny baby” is going to be 14 months old tomorrow! But recently, my mom gave me some pictures of her childhood and I haven’t stopped thinking about “moms” since then.

My favorite picture is of my grandmother sitting in a café with my mom on her lap and she’s less than a year old—probably 7 or 8 months old. The picture captures their personalities well and it reminds me that we were all babies once, even my mom! And I think about how wonderful it is that I have been so cared for by them both. My grandmother passed away June 17, 2003. But I still think about her almost every day. My aunt still struggles with her death, daily, and especially on Grandma’s birthday and mother’s day.

As a mother, the two most important lessons I’ve learned are to love your kids and spend as much time with them as you can. You can’t replace time spent and you just can’t love them enough. At the end of the day, I know my mom loves me and there is a wholeness to that that keeps me grounded. Mother’s day isn’t until next month, but give your mom a hug today, or call her, or say a little prayer for her if she’s passed on. Mom, I love you.