The joy of generosity

My heart is full as I write this on the evening of Febuary 7, 2010. Our little beach town was slammed with its worst snowstorm in decades, as was much of the East Coast. We lost power Friday night and temperatures Saturday night dipped to around 15 degrees. Having grown up in Ohio, I wasn't afraid of the snow--I went out and shovelled at regular intervals during the day so that I could have a path to take my dog out to go potty--but what scared me was spending the night alone in the dark without power when temperatures were going to get that cold.

Two angels, a couple who live on the other side of my community, had purchased a mighty generator and already had several electric or gel fireplaces. They started taking in neighbors around lunchtime on Saturday, especially the elderly. They invited me but I kept holding out, not wanting to leave my home and make the arduous trek through hip-high snow to the other side of the development. Finally, just after dark, when I saw how quickly the tempurature inside my apartment was plummeting, I gave in and called to say I was coming. They sent two people from that end--one a new but dear friend of mine--and another was coming from my end. They carried my backpack and my dog while I trudged through the dark, the snowstorm raging in 50 MPH winds and whiteout conditions.

With the arrival of my neighbor and I, there were a total of 9 people and 4 dogs in this 2-bedroom condo. While of course it was comforting to have companionship, SOME heat and light and even a TV on which to keep up with the latest news of the storm, I am at heart a solitary person--it would be disingenuous of me to say that being sardined into a livingroom with 8 other people and 4 dogs for almost 24 hours was a fun time for me.

That said, I am so grateful for the generosity of spirit, shelter, food and blankets that these ladies provided, despite the fact that most of us barely know them and vice versa. It makes me almost tear up to even think of their sacrifice for us and their kindness to us, not to mention the women who shovelled a pathway from the court where we were holed up to the court where most of the evacuees lived, the women who shepherded me and my dog through the storm, etc.

The real shocker of this weekend, though, in terms of generosity was my upstairs neighbor. He and I have had a rather contentious relationship for the 2+ years I've lived here. And yet, while I was out shovelling snow Saturday, he offered me a potfull of hot water that he'd heated on his grill so that I could have a cup of hot tea when I came in from shovelling. He then said he'd be making he and his roommate a complete steak dinner on the grill and that he'd be delivering one to me as well. I was flabbergasted...and touched. He did as promised and I tore into it like a person who hadn't eaten in 24 hours--which was almost the truth. I'd eaten cheese and crackers and cereal but it was the first HOT meal I'd had in 24 hours. It was heavenly.

The snow plow arrived in our development about 4:30 Sunday afternoon and worked for hours clearing the deep snow and even deeper drifts from our parking lots and driveways. It is now the next morning (see note below), and I've just returned from walking my dog for the first time post-plowing. It looks like another planet out there--or, at the least, another area of the country--there are huge piles of snow everywhere and every inch of pavement is covered in a thick sheet of ice. Luckily, I invested in ice cleats last summer, so this wasn't a problem. However, in trying to clean up after my dog, I found myself hip deep in frozen snow and fell over, but was able to eventually right myself. So even walking the dog was an adventure!

I have already written thank you notes to the neighbors who provided me food and shelter during this crazy, scary weekend. I am currently writing notes to the ladies who assisted me in my trek through the storm to shelter and who shovelled a partial path yesterday so all of us who had stayed the night could get safely home. It doesn't begin to express how much their kindness and generosity touched me and helped me, but it is a start.

I am blessed. And I am warm.


Note: While I was writing this Sunday night, my power went out again--luckily this time for only a short while--so I am actually finishing this on Monday, February 8th. Thankfully, Blogger had saved a draft of what I'd already written (all but the last two paragraphs) and I didn't have to start over. WHEW!