Seven Reasons I was Thankful for the Ice Storm of 2013

By Ariniko O'Meara   |   Posted December 29, 2013   |   Previous Entry   |   Next Entry

I must begin this post by stating that I was one of the fortunate ones that didn't lose power for any significant amount of time. However the storm affected many of my loved ones and my community and allowed me the chance to reflect on activities that wouldn't have happened without the storm hitting Mid Michigan. So here is a short list of seven things I was grateful for because of the ice storm.

1. Extraordinary photographic opportunities – It is amazing how a quarter inch of ice can transform the environment around me. The branches and berries became encapsulated gems; tree branches draping over pathways all decorated in crystal curtains; and Fraggle Rock hair-dos of every tree top.

On the second day after the storm the sun shine came. All the ice sparkled so spectacularly that while driving, I almost crashed quite a few times

2. Meeting 8 neighbors – In the early morning hours of Sunday December 22, I journeyed out pre dawn to catch the sun's first rays on the abundance of ice we'd gotten over night. Since our house didn't lose power, I had no expectation of the destruction I was about to find. As I walked I came across other wanderers exploring this new scene. Some were without power and were examining their lightless surroundings. Others were curious to see the sights, much like myself. And some were out already getting a head start to what would be days of cleaning up. Our road had become completely blocked by downed branches and power lines and a group of us examining the damage soon became traffic coordinators to those not realizing their route was blocked.

3. Playing euchre every night – Later that Sunday night I got a text from my sister in law. They were one of the unfortunate ones that lost power. They wanted to stop over for a few hours. As the night went on we soon realized they really needed our help. With the power out at their house they would not be able to have their normal babysitter come over and watch the kids. Pat and I eagerly agreed that they should spend the night and we would watch their 3 and our 2 on Monday while they both worked. There was a rumor circulating that their power might not come back on until Jan 3. We were preparing for a much longer stay that looked like it would include Christmas. They were blessed with power on December 26, but for five days and four nights our families shared rooms, ate meals together, celebrated holidays together and played together. This included a nightly ritual of Euchre after the kids were all in bed.

4. Having a baby in the house – Last February our oldest son moved out of our home to Indiana taking with him his girlfriend and their little baby boy. We'd gotten pretty used to having our grandson around and missed him a lot! Having our little eight month old nephew with us was quite a treat!

5. Christmas Morning – This Christmas, with my son now in Indiana, I was anticipating, even preparing for, a very depressing, quiet celebration. Although 8 stockings hung on the mantle only 5 would be stuffed this year. Then the ice storm came and we added five more stockings to the decorations! On Christmas morning four bright eyed little ones bustled down the hallway from their shared bedrooms to each gift pile, examining the owner of each. How amazing it was to have the cousins share such a special occasion (one was still sleeping when I took this).

6. Christmas Day – Originally we had planned to make our way over to my husband's parent's house by 11:00 a.m. on Christmas Day to celebrate with his family. They also had suffered from the power outage which made our house, quite literally, the “go to” house. With assistance from my brother and sister in law we quickly transformed our intimate family of 10 Christmas morn activities into a sit down family affair of 21. Within an hour Santa's gifts were put away, couches were moved into more strategic positions and two sets of folding tables were flipped open and adorned with green holiday cloths. Brunch was served right on time and we all had a really great time!

7. Playdates – Usually when the vacations from school come around the calendar Pat and I lose all ability to work from home. We try to take turns but we both slowly migrate back to our work stations leaving our kids to fend for themselves. Although having our house guests didn't allow for much work to get done, it was so nice seeing the twins having fun playing with their cousins. We greatly enjoyed the four inches of snow that fell as it provided fantastic sledding conditions.

I know this winter storm has caused damage, expenses, trials and frustrations to thousands in the Mid Michigan area. I hope, in time, everyone can come up with their own list of things the ice storm made them grateful for.