Monday, July 19, 2010

Reading By Candlelight

Due to a major thunderstorm this past Saturday, the power was out for eight hours. I watched the neighborhood change before my eyes. Folks sat on their front porches to brave the rising temperatures in their otherwise, cool, air conditioned homes. Kids played in the street. There was no noise of TV, heat pumps, radios, refrigerators. Nothing. Just people and quiet. It was awesome.

For eight hours I had perfect quiet inside the house, reading out loud. I've been reading a hard copy of my manuscript out loud and, wow! What a difference. You catch all kinds of little hiccups you wouldn't otherwise. But by evening, the light from the windows faded, so I gathered my candles and began to read by candlelight.

The mood was perfect for the book, it added to it somehow. A strange eeriness that brought it alive. I'm thinking that electric or no electric, reading by candlelight may be a way to do this from now on! You never know. What seems to be a major inconvenience can be a blessing in disguise.

Of course, after a while, I got tired of living in the 1800s and was ready to watch Jay Leno. The electric came back on by 10 pm but those eight hours taught me something. Sometimes when the thunderstorms of life seem their loudest, we learn our most memorable lessons.

Blessings to you and yours.

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