Eerie

I went to a church building 1/2 hour south for a meeting this evening. Driving back through several different communities, I found it somewhat eerie to come upon whole blocks every now and then that were totally dark. There were no streetlights or lights on in any houses on a block, then there would be lights again. It was impossible to see the traffic lights that were hanging in the dark. Sometimes there were stop signs stuck at the intersection to remind people to treat the non-functioning stop lighted intersections as a 4-way stop. Approaching a totally dark block made me more alert to the possibility of a traffic light being out. Some cars just breezed on through. Luckily, I saw no accidents due to that kind of carelessness. It has been a week since the power went out. At church there were some that still don't have power. At least two of the households are in areas where they have their own well so they are also without water! They have had to resort to running hoses from neighbors or trucking in water in whatever containers they have. I drove by one fire station that had a hand-written sign out front "Free Ice" and inside I could see pallets of stacked ice bags, available to those still without refrigeration. It has been interesting to see how helpful and resourceful so many can be. There are some who have bitterly complained and been really critical of the power company for being "slow" or "uncaring about their area". That has made me feel sad. I feel the same sadness when I read or hear bitter criticisms of President Bush. I have to wonder how things would turn out if those people who are so heavy on the criticisms were in charge.