Every moment is an opportunity…
|7.Jan.2011…to find joy.
Joy isn’t circumstantial. Joy can be found in every moment.
Last night at 11:00 we lost electricity. Jeff was in the process of reviewing paperwork and I was still up working. The outage didn’t stop much–with my laptop charged, I was able to continue working. Jeff pulled on his headband light and continued reviewing his paperwork.
As the house grew chillier Jeff started a fire. We checked on the kids in their beds–making sure they had enough blankets over them to keep them warm–and the two of us settled in to sleep on a pallet in front of the fire. Our bedroom is the coldest room in the house and the fire’s warmth beckoned.
Falling asleep in front of a fire is a peaceful way to ride out an electrical shortage.
The next morning the electricity was still out and the house was significantly colder. As the kids stumbled into the living room to be warmed by the fire, I warned them not to open the refrigerator. Then, I called Entergy’s outage line to get an update–the automated reply estimated another 3 hours before the electricity would be back on.
Wrapped up in quilts in front of the fire the breakfast solution became obvious.
THEY KIDS COULD HAVE S’MORES!
And that’s exactly what we did.
We took a cold, frustrating situation and made it into a warm, chocolate-marshmallow treat.
This is one of the many reasons I love that we homeschool. If the kids had to be rushed off to school this morning we would have missed out on this unanticipated, but deliciously warm and joy-filled morning.
These are the moments I treasure.
And as a special gift, as soon as they finished off their last s’more, the electricity came back on! They ran to the kitchen to grab an ice cold glass of milk and settle back in front of the fire.
We’re still here.
13 Comments
Mrs. Wilson
Sounds pretty perfect! Mmmmm …. s’mores …
Natalie V2
Carpe S’more!
I am with you… joy wants to be sought, and sometimes finding it is simply a matter of looking at a situation from a different angle. Not every unexpected event is necessarily a crisis… especially if you can throw some chocolate at it!
I Live in an Antbed
What a fun adventure!! Yeah for homeschooling! But, I do hope your power comes back on before you run out of firewood and hypothermia has a chance to set in! :)
Jennifer
Lovely. Perfect. Moments like those are the best … and curling up next to a fire can’t be beat.
Lesley Tschatschula
we’re gonna need directions to your house. we won’t stay long….just a few weeks. :) make room for 2 parents and 4 boys.
OMSH
Lesley, we might need to add on…
heh heh
nah, get on over here! :)
bethany
Love, and thanks for sharing it. Right in tune with how i’m feeling, just having posted a “whistling in the dark” post myself along similar lines. yay for Smores and Homeschooling! We’re heading out into the snow to play, and it will probably be melted before the other kids get out of school :(.
Mom2Seven
You bring back memories! When a camping trip with my grandparents became unrealistic ( I forget why…rain?), we gathered around the fireplace to roast marshmallows instead. Such fun!
Aimee
awesome!
My 10 yr dd and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary of homeschooling. The start of this school year I added my 8 yr ds – whew! Next year I will add my 6 yr dd. I get such joy out of your blog. I have been feeling like its all too much. Do you ever feel like that?
OMSH
Yes. Absolutely. EVERY homeschooling mom comes to the end of their rope and wonders, “Really? Did I really make this choice?” Typically it is an emotional reaction to a horrible day (or days). And, just like we teach our kids, we can’t make decisions based on emotion–just keep on truckin’ (joy comes in the morning).
Kelly G.
I am laughing in Wisconsin at your kids who are still wearing shorts and short sleeves even though it is “cold” with the power off…It is currently 10 degrees outside, if our power was out we would be in deep trouble!!! :)
I absolutely agree that these are the moments that make homeschool so worth every headache. We celebrated my 8 year old’s birthday today by not having school!
OMSH
Kelly, yes…we are definitely weenies around here, eh? We don’t KNOW cold!
Liz in Virginia
Fabulous way to spend a power outage! I hasten to add that at least this public schooling family would have responded to a power outage exactly the same way.