Well, Les, ya almost jinxed me bad...
We lost power twice last night, and each of those times my mind began to race thinking "oh boy, what am I going to do to keep us and the pipes from freezing until power is restored". It's no secret that cold temperatures creep into this old farm house faster than anything built in the last half century, but the thought gets especially poignant when a fella is sitting in complete darkness, hearing the wind blowing outside, and knowing the negative double digits would be upon us until after daybreak.
Both times the power went out, it was for less than a minute in duration, and all I had to do is reset the clocks on various appliances throughout the house when it returned... BUT in the moments when the power was not there, it really made me aware of how I/we take such things for granted.
My Christmas wish to all of you is that you take NOTHING for granted, whether it be simple creature comforts, the love of family and friends, or the privilege of living in a nation of great prosperity (despite all the things we don't have that we wished we had). There's a song from about ten years back that has this lyrical message straight to the point; it says: Everyday is Christmas when every day is thanks-giving, I can find the sunshine if I count my blessings. (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQazF6jUt8MMay we all have a good Christmas, each and every day!