The Dark Days

The silence is ear-splitting. I struggle to decide if the dots are a figment of my imagination or if they are a tangible apparatus floating before me. In the midst of my sleep, I awake to an overwhelming presence of darkness and an immense lack of light. This happened to me just Sunday morning.

In the earliest hours of the morning, in the coldest months of the year, we often find ourselves without electricity. Most of us wouldn’t have the knowledge to fix this common problem even if the equipment was right in front of us.

We thank soldiers. We are grateful to the police force. The fire departments across the nation hold a place in our hearts. However there is a particular league of heroes that we so often forget to honor.

When we find ourselves scrambling through drawers and cabinets for flashlights and candles, when we open the blinds to allow natural light to illuminate our homes, who emerges in the dead of night or the midst of daytime to come to our aid?

The American electric workers.

Not only do we recognize these men and women for filling a room with light after hours of darkness, but also the lives that are saved through their willingness to sacrifice their time. The equipment in hospitals require electricity to allow the doctors and nurses to monitor their patients. What would happen if hearts couldn’t be monitored? If bodies couldn’t be scanned? If cancer couldn’t be detected? These machines don’t just function on their own. Our electrical force brings the technology into our medical facilities required to save the lives of those who are barely hanging on.

I have the privilege of being friends with one of these men. Matt Greer is a member of my church and an outstanding Christian father and husband. When the electricity went nonexistent on Sunday, we found ourselves returning to the light switches within a couple of hours. Greer was on his feet before daybreak to restore electricity for houses all across Sardis Rd.

These unsung heroes more than deserve commending for their bold actions. If you know an electric worker of any specialty, man or woman, give them a resounding “Thank you”.

I would love to hear your comments via email. Thank you for reading.