The past few weeks have been not only hectic, but made me realize that we all need to take time to pause, if only for a few moments, to thank God for what we have and for some of the things we take for granted.

My wife had full knee replacement of one of her knees and big changes have had to take place for us to adjust to something like that. But, we did adjust and are adjusting to the changes that have to take place. My wife, before the surgery, seemed to have reservations about the whole thing, but I think those reservations were about how I would react and handle the situation more than how she would. I think she realizes now that we both are adjusting pretty well.

The biggest problem we have had here in Iowa the past couple of weeks is with the weather. We have had to battle ice, and I mean a lot of ice, snow, rain, sleet and whatever Mother Nature sent our way. We all handled that pretty well, but it has made me realize that we need to tighten our belts when it comes to getting prepared for some things.

I have not seen the kind of ice storm we just went through in my entire life. We may have had this type of storm before, but I do not remember it. I had to take my wife to Physical Therapy at the Marengo Memorial Hospital a day or two after the ice hit us and there were so many power lines down it was hard to believe. We counted over 56 of them down in just one 15 mile stretch. There are so many power trucks from so many companies, many of them out of state, that this whole area looks like a sort of war zone.

I heard one guy at Marengo Memorial Hospital voice my sentiments when he said he never thought he would say it, but he felt sorry for those people working for Alliant Energy (the Company that supplies our electricity and power). We had four power outages with one being for nine (9) hours, another for twelve (12) hours and the other two pretty long also. We had to live with it because we depend so much on things like electricity. While we were hunting for our oil lamps so we could have some light, and with the house getting colder, we were thinking of what we would do later if the power stayed off. But all the time, we did not really criticize or condemn our power company or the cost of our electricity. We were grateful that they were out there, for us, and doing what had to be done to restore power.

I realized that we all need to take the time in this world to THINK about what we have and the things that mean so much to us which improve our lives. We need to thank God for what we have and to pause to give thanks to those who serve above and beyond, like our Power Companies, Phone Companies, Police, Fire Departments, etc. We may pay a lot for what we have and we may gripe many times for the high cost of what we have to pay, but we need to give thanks that they are there when the need arises. To pay high prices for something may be a pain, but think of what it would be like if we did not have them!

I know this is a Veterans Site, and I am a Veteran, but we have the same kind of things to deal with as the rest of the people, and what I have written about here is something many of us have to deal with. We all need to pause in our lives, to give thanks and to be grateful for what we have. We go about our daily lives and many times we fail to really realize just how much many people are putting on the line to help us keep and enjoy the kind of lifestyle we now enjoy.

We have a lot of problems in this world and in our own lives, but I, for one, decided it was time to pause and to give thanks, not only for what I have in this world, but for those out there who are doing what they have to do, even if it is their job, to help make my life better and give me the liberty to pursue what I want to pursue in this life.

Thank you Alliant Energy for being out there during this past two weeks during the ice storm and the one that followed, and for standing up to be counted in all kinds of weather to make sure that I would have heat in my house and the other things I need. Thank you phone company for making sure that my phone is there to ring and to work so that I can call Marengo Memorial Hospital, etc., when the need arises, so that we can make sure things are done that need to be done. Thank you Police Departments and Law Enforcement for being out there to ensure that our roads are safer and to help save some lives during situations like this terrible ice storm. Thank you Firemen and women who serve, day after day, hour after hour, and minute after minute, to ensure that if my house catches fire that you will be there to put it out so that my life can not only continue but that I can realize just how important you really are to all of us.

THANK GOD FOR ALL OF YOU!