Field Stone Cottage Blog

Friday, April 18, 2008

Earthquake?

It was a rough night at our house. We were awakened by Andy's blackberry/cell phone letting us know that there was a malfunction in the alarm system which was madly beeping downstairs. He jumped up and ran down to fix it but I didn't quite catch what was going on so, considering that we use his blackberry in place of an alarm clock, by the time he came back up, I was dressed and about to take Charlie outside. "Where are you going?" he said. "To take Charlie out and make your lunch," I responded. "Its 2:30 AM," he informed me. "Oh," I said, and set Charlie back on the bed. (Yes, he sleeps with us.) We all settled down again.

At 4:30ish, some unidentifiable sound awoke us. "Grrr," we both mumbled with only a half hour left until the blackberry went off and really meant it. No, we didn't sleep through it like some households but we didn't know (or care) what it was either.

Later in the morning, I was having tea here at the cottage with a dear friend whom I hadn't seen in some time. We were chatting away when her husband called on her cell phone to inform her of the aftershock that had just occurred. Did either of us feel it? Not a chance!

As I puttered around the kitchen later, this is the passage that came to my mind.

1 Kings 19:11-13 (New International Version)

11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"


I am so thankful that the Lord is not in the earthquake! I pray that He can get my attention with a gentle whisper.

Update: April's theme is Petitionary Prayer over at Rebecca Writes and I am asking that you would pray with me that very request for myself. Please ask Him to keep me sensitive to His gentle whisper in my days.

5 comments:

Lisa J. said...

I love your comment following the scripture about wanting to hear the gentle whisper.

We were awakened about 8 years ago by the same type of earthquake. It sounded like a big truck or train coming, rattled a bit and moved on. We had blueberries in the freezer but no blackberries in the bedroom!

I felt only one other earthquake about 20 years earlier in the Mohawk Valley (close to the Utica-Rome area:)

I'm glad you didn't have any damage - other than to your sleep.

Dorothy said...

Lisa, how is this for a funny "co-incidence?" We lived in Upstate New York before relocating to Chicagoland 12 years ago and actually felt that earthquake that you experienced in the Mohawk Valley over 25 years ago!

Lisa J. said...

Wow! That is strange - I saw in your "tag" post that you lived in Utica-Rome area, but I didn't imagine you would've been there then! The earthquake was early a.m., right? We (my mother) thought it was the furnace exploding! I live in the Adirondacks now, about one hour from Utica, where my mom now lives. The earthquake we felt 8 years ago was centered in the ADKS and it felt the same as the first.

Where did you live?

Dorothy said...

Yes, it was early morning! My husband was getting ready for work when the whole house shook!

We lived by Panther Lake at the time. That's north of Oneida Lake and not too far from Camden so not right in the Utica-Rome/Mohawk Valley but close enough. Andy was a civilian working at Griffiss AFB.

SimplyAmusingDesigns.com said...

When I lived in Alaska, we had earthquakes all the time. It was very unsettling, to be honest. The thing I am most comfortable with about weather is the kind I can escape from. (Although I suppose an earthquake is not technically 'weather')

Glad you made it through okay! :)