Friday Five - Storms of Life

I have been without internet for a few days so I am behind on getting some things published. Sorry about that! But I figure better late than never! This week's Friday Five is about storms and the storms of life. Hope you enjoy!

What's the most common kind of storm in your neck of the woods? - Most of the time we don't get anything bigger than Thunderstorms, but we will get at least one or two tornados a year.

When was the last time you dealt with a significant power outage? - at the house we really haven't had too many. Our utilities are buried, so we don't usually have ton of problems with storms knocking out the power. The last time I can remember a big outage (more than maybe 30 minutes) was last summer at the condo. At the church it is another story. We lose power pretty easily and last year we almost had to cancel services once or twice because it was too hot and humid, nobody could see, and there was no air!

Are you prepared for the next one? - I think so. We have flashlights in every room and I really don't know what else we might need. I suppose if things got too nasty we could go in the basement.

What's the weather forecast where you are this weekend? - Hot and sunny. I'm glad things are finally cooling off a bit, but I'm ready for "real" fall!

How do you calm your personal storms? - I have a wonderful group of supportive friends and family who often know what I need even better than I do! And funny movies or TV shows that allow me to let loose and laugh always do wonders when I get too stressed or upset.

A little funny to share - Although there's no official "bonus" this week, I do have an appropriate little story to share that I don't know if I've ever told. During my very first Sunday at this, my very first church, I was understandably nervous. And to make matters worse, it was pretty stormy out that day. Well, the utility service around there is not the best, and in the MIDDLE of my sermon, (actually, in the middle of a sentence!) the power goes out. The only thing I could think to do was keep going! Thankfully, I had enough light from the candles to be able to see my notes so I kept going and finished. The power came back shortly before the end of the service. And the only comment I got about the whole thing from one of my parishoners was "Well, if you added another page or two to your sermon it'd be pretty good."