Miracle on 34th Street? I've got one better than that...
As I mentioned yesterday, the winter storm Cleon is marching eastward. I have been watching it closely since Sunday. I'm a weather-channel-aholic, so really this isn't that unusual. But I've been watching it even more intently than usual for a very big, special reason.
My 89-year old parents are coming to spend the winter with me from Utah. And they are driving...themselves. They left a day ahead of schedule trying to get ahead of the storm. But the first day they got a late start and ended up overnight in Colorado at 7500 feet elevation. Oh man. The reason they are coming to stay is my Dad's lung's aren't great...and they need to get to a lower elevation. And they slept at 7500 feet? And his oxygen tank stopped working. So, on to day 2 of the roadtrip, they spent the morning trying to get his oxygen tank fixed. Late start again. And then a wrong turn. Another couple of hours behind. Day three they made a good bit of progress. And I'm watching the forcast for every city they're driving through, and I had pretty much decided by mid-day yesterday they were going to get stuck. The southern ice storm was going to hit, and they were going to be at ground zero...Oklahoma City or Little Rock, Arkansas, when it started.
I am a woman of faith. I believe in the power of prayer. I've even blogged about that before (click here to read that post of my really bad day). Last night, I realized it wasn't inevitable that my Mom and Dad would get stuck in the ice storm. I could pray that God would keep the storm behind them. And then two miracles happened. This morning, they were on the road by 8:00 am. They haven't been on the highway before 10:00 all week! When they began driving, it was starting to rain, and it was 29 degrees. As they were considering turning back to the hotel, their thermostat started climbing. I looked at the radar for Arkansas all morning, and it literally looked like the ice line was right on them.
I believe in miracles. And I believe in acknowledging them. And being 49 years old, I've learned to "call a spade a spade". Today's Sweet Fringe Benefit is the miracle that I witnessed today as my 89 year old parents arrived safely after four days and 1800 miles in the car...on their own. The storm delayed, their morning went smoothly, and they arrived as grateful as I was to see them. Simply miraculous. We enjoyed a quick dinner and then we were in the car again, off to watch my daughter cheer at a basketball game.
I kept myself very busy today as I prepared for their arrival: closet space was cleared, drawers were emptied. I put away the last two Christmas boxes as the final touches on my decorations were complete. The front door has been properly dressed with my garland and wreath, as well as my topiary being re-strung with fresh light sets. Here's a few pictures of my productivity:
Outfit of the Day: I bought this trench coat several years ago at Target when Isaac Mizrahi was their guest designer. I decided after seeing my girlfriend's fabulous coats last week...I had to step it up a bit. I dug deep in my coat closet and came out with this! And it was the perfect day for it...pouring rain as I ran a couple errands. But I stayed dry because of my classic trench coat and rain boots. I think I've come close to getting rid of this coat several times. I'm glad I didn't. It's a classic. You can see a little of my sparkly collar....I love this blouse from JCrew Factory Outlet. It's so pretty! It was a fun little pop from underneath the coat.
No matter what organized religion or faith you belong to, call a spade a spade. Don't think coincidence, or happenstance, or even take the credit yourself. Tip your hat to God when miracles happen. Looking back over my 49 years, I've seen many small miracles in my life. Look at your own experience, have you seen small miracles in your life? Look closely, I bet there have been. For today, I'm looking at 2 miracles...
Nanette
My 89-year old parents are coming to spend the winter with me from Utah. And they are driving...themselves. They left a day ahead of schedule trying to get ahead of the storm. But the first day they got a late start and ended up overnight in Colorado at 7500 feet elevation. Oh man. The reason they are coming to stay is my Dad's lung's aren't great...and they need to get to a lower elevation. And they slept at 7500 feet? And his oxygen tank stopped working. So, on to day 2 of the roadtrip, they spent the morning trying to get his oxygen tank fixed. Late start again. And then a wrong turn. Another couple of hours behind. Day three they made a good bit of progress. And I'm watching the forcast for every city they're driving through, and I had pretty much decided by mid-day yesterday they were going to get stuck. The southern ice storm was going to hit, and they were going to be at ground zero...Oklahoma City or Little Rock, Arkansas, when it started.
I am a woman of faith. I believe in the power of prayer. I've even blogged about that before (click here to read that post of my really bad day). Last night, I realized it wasn't inevitable that my Mom and Dad would get stuck in the ice storm. I could pray that God would keep the storm behind them. And then two miracles happened. This morning, they were on the road by 8:00 am. They haven't been on the highway before 10:00 all week! When they began driving, it was starting to rain, and it was 29 degrees. As they were considering turning back to the hotel, their thermostat started climbing. I looked at the radar for Arkansas all morning, and it literally looked like the ice line was right on them.
I kept myself very busy today as I prepared for their arrival: closet space was cleared, drawers were emptied. I put away the last two Christmas boxes as the final touches on my decorations were complete. The front door has been properly dressed with my garland and wreath, as well as my topiary being re-strung with fresh light sets. Here's a few pictures of my productivity:
Outfit of the Day: I bought this trench coat several years ago at Target when Isaac Mizrahi was their guest designer. I decided after seeing my girlfriend's fabulous coats last week...I had to step it up a bit. I dug deep in my coat closet and came out with this! And it was the perfect day for it...pouring rain as I ran a couple errands. But I stayed dry because of my classic trench coat and rain boots. I think I've come close to getting rid of this coat several times. I'm glad I didn't. It's a classic. You can see a little of my sparkly collar....I love this blouse from JCrew Factory Outlet. It's so pretty! It was a fun little pop from underneath the coat.
No matter what organized religion or faith you belong to, call a spade a spade. Don't think coincidence, or happenstance, or even take the credit yourself. Tip your hat to God when miracles happen. Looking back over my 49 years, I've seen many small miracles in my life. Look at your own experience, have you seen small miracles in your life? Look closely, I bet there have been. For today, I'm looking at 2 miracles...
Nanette
That's such a cool story! i'm so glad they made it to you safely.
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