Dreaming During “Snowapocalypse”
Though I didn’t need any reinforcement of the fact that getting married in the middle of winter was a bad idea, last week’s “Snowapocalypse” emphasized it.
While Sen. Ted Cruz was getting lambasted for heading to Cancun as many average Texans grappled with gargantuan, storm-related electric bills, we were in survival mode too.
That’s because we celebrated our wedding anniversary in the midst of living on the fly after our electricity sputtered out the evening of Feb. 15 and stayed out for nearly five days.
Now, while a 42nd anniversary doesn’t attract the kind of attention a 25th silver or a 50th golden does, it will be one of our most memorable.
Taken for Granted
It’s so easy to take things like heat, light, and running water for granted—until they’re gone. For a couple days, we had all three, thanks to family who offered us free lodging. Their power was out too, but their generator and wood stove kept things humming.
They would later lose water because of an outage at a pumping station. Fortunately, by then we had boosted reserves by picking up a case of bottled water at the grocery store, along with some cooked chicken for our anniversary dinner on Wednesday evening.
Before the water stopped flowing, I managed to work in a shower via another family member’s gas-powered water heater. Still, when the water returned Friday evening, everyone rejoiced.
Life’s Surprises
Just when I thought the pandemic of 2020 had produced life’s biggest surprise, along came the triple ice-and-snow storms of 2021.
It has left us, and society as a whole, with the need to plan for the next emergency, which will come along as surely as the sun rises in the east.
Yet, last week also produced some pleasant moments.
First was the chance to play board games and chit chat with family members whom we don’t get to spend nearly enough time with in the crush of daily life.
But the one moment whose spiritual significance has yet to be determined occurred Friday night. That’s when I drifted off into Dreamland, sleeping better than I had all week—I assume because of the anticipation of being able to return home Saturday with power restored.
“Snowapocalypse” Fueling Visions
As a kid, this dream used to occur regularly. In it, I could run so fast that I could lift off the ground. Flying around allowed me to escape the humdrum of foot transportation and enjoy new horizons.
It had been decades since I had dreamt that. When it resurfaced Friday night, it came with a surreal, wide-eyed feeling of reality, which I hadn’t sensed for years. Plus, it included exhilaration and electric-like impulses flowing through my body.
This brought to mind the time a flight took off in a nasty, lightning-punctuated thunderstorm in Houston, so bad I clutched the armrests with an iron grip.
Only as I flew into a stiff wind in my dream, I wasn’t afraid. I embraced the sensation, feeling caressed and protected by the Holy Spirit.
When I awoke, I recalled I edited recently where a pastor cited Joel 2:28, which says in part that “your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” He said elderly persons need to remain in the church so they can dream and spark visions among younger people.
I’m not sure if my dream indicated a forthcoming move of the Spirit in my life or throughout the world. But I’m sharing it in the hope it will lead to a vision in someone younger.
