The week the lights went out in Louisiana coincides with a new book baby!

Fair warning, friend. You may want to take this visit in sessions. I have a lot to say. Should you decide to stop for coffee, grab a bite to eat, or save some for another day, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. Let’s chat…

I have no idea where you’re reading these words but I sincerely hope they find you warm and fed with access to clean water! Thanks to Winter Storm Fern, we have a fresh appreciation of those necessities in my hometown. The historic weather event that battered the Southeast, Mid-South, and Northeast regions of our country, and according to reports impacted over 150 million people, took direct aim at Lake Providence, La. People here are calling it a once in a lifetime storm.   

A once in a lifetime storm

By the time the Beloved Farmer and I went to bed on the night of January 24th, temps had dropped and we could see ice accumulating outside our windows. It was day one and already it was becoming clear. The weather projections filling our screens with repeated warnings hadn’t been exaggerated. Phil and I slept fitfully that first night, listening to what sounded like so much gunfire, but was actually the thick limbs of oak and pecan trees cracking beneath the weight of an extreme amount of ice. Neighbors texted neighbors and family checked on family in that long dark night as the disturbing sounds of destruction increased, and we voiced our mutual concerns. What would daylight reveal?    

At some point Saturday night we lost power and our generator hummed into service. It would remain in service for right at a week. This is the first really tough storm we’ve experienced since we installed the Generac, and we gave thanks for it over and again as the days passed. WIFI was gone and our water supply came and went, but we stayed warm. The steady hum of that generator allowed us to bring my parents and their small dog to our house for the duration, and it gave us the opportunity to offer power and food to our neighbors.

Early in the week, Phil unthawed the valves to keep a check on the propane level, as fuel demand in our area in light of the waiting list and available Propane supply presented another concern. Meanwhile my son and his wife and kids, who were also without power, were working to feed livestock and keep newborn calves alive. The grands took their turns helping their parents, and warming up at Pops and Keggie’s house with their great-grandparents. I wasn’t involved in breaking ice to try and melt enough to water thirsty animals, but my heart sure was with them!

Hank runs into his own trouble

While I’m on the subject of animals, I must share what happened to Hank because I know he is dear to so many of you. Let me quickly say that he is still with us, and getting stronger. However, Sunday morning, a week into this weather event, we found him bloodied and disoriented on our carport. He had been staying on his bed out of the elements, where we had prepared warm bedding and a heat lamp. He had been quite comfortable until…well, we’re not sure. Perhaps he got tangled up with a stray dog, but we think it is more likely that he had a fight with a racoon. Whatever it was, Hank didn’t fare well in the war. I’ll admit that it felt like one too many blows that morning. I cried buckets while we cleaned and bandaged him, and I told him through my tears that a few months from now I would take him on a float boat ride in the heat and this will all just be a bad memory. But I repeat through my tears, Hank is recovering and we continue to give thanks for that, and for the fact that no human lives have been lost here.

About that reveal…    

But, about that daylight reveal…I’m aware I didn’t finish that thought. To be honest, I guess I’m avoiding it. Even now, I’m not sure how to do justice to what we saw when we awoke the morning after the storm. I’ve heard a few sentiments repeated all week.

“It looks like a war zone!”

“It’s like a bomb exploded!”

Those are accurate depictions. It will take many many years for the landscape in my town to recover. Our beautiful oak trees are decimated along with countless pine trees. Mysteriously, as least to me, our magnolias fared somewhat better. The cypress trees that line our lake and have so long stood as our town’s sentries remain standing for the most part, but it looks like someone took a huge machete and made a long sweeping motion, topping them in masse. These are the facts, but there are other more important truths I want to witness to here.

Generational memories have been made

Here’s a little clip I made this past Saturday of all the living and loving that happened at the same time! Seven days, plenty board games, countless memories, and far too many pictures and videos later, we have electricity, water, and now WiFi! Several days into this once in a lifetime ice storm, my oldest granddaughter and I were talking about how badly we wanted to see the arrival of energy trucks when Emerson said, “We should greet them with a parade!” Yes! Great idea!! I rounded up all the poster boards and markers I could find and we got busy. It was another twenty-four hours before the high voltage heroes made it to our street, but we were ready with fanfare and snacks. 🙂

So, don’t tell me the whole world is crazy. I won’t listen. There are good, good people doing what they can with what they have all around us. Our small town has already been singing the praises of the many many lineman doing the dangerous work involved in restoring power to our homes, and now we’re being inundated with outside help for the massive cleanup necessary here. It will take time to process this past week with the juxtaposition of so much beauty with so much destruction, but for now, gratitude is my prevailing emotion.  

 

Heroes here, there, and everywhere 

We have also stacked up stories of kindness and heroism. It has been beautiful watching neighbors tending to one another and churches establishing warming stations.  It has been heartwarming to watch volunteers flooding into town to help with our recovery. And throughout it all, our Sherriff’s Department, police officers, and emergency personnel have earned our deepest gratitude logging many sleepless hours helping our town weather this storm, together. 

There have been other heroic actions. Our friend Zachary Frasier was coming home with his wife after delivering food and water all day when a white bag in the road caught his attention and he thought he saw movement in the bushes. The couple’s  kids were nearby at his mother’s house. Zach had heard the reports of eight accused killers having escaped earlier from Riverbend Detention Center, (which is the facility where his late father Danny Frasier once served as warden). He got out of his vehicle with a flashlight and a firearm to investigate, and discovered two men hiding in the bushes. Zach held them at gunpoint while his wife, Mandy, called 911. Backup arrived quickly and arrested the men, identifying them as the escaped inmates facing murder charges. We all feel like Danny was looking down from heaven with pride at his son’s instinctive actions to protect his family and neighbors.

An unlikely launch

If you’re still there, I’ve got more news. It’s the kind I would normally lead with, if these were normal times. While none of us had historic arctic storms on our bingo cards for January 2026, I didn’t have it in my book launch plans, either! And yet, after months of planning and expectations for the release of my new book, “Don’t Try to Pray Like Her”, Fern wiped out countless interviews and promotional opportunities my publisher had worked hard to secure. Yesterday’s highly anticipated launch day was strange and anticlimactic but my book baby is out in the wild! And while it may have knocked me off balance, we all know none of this has taken our good Father by surprise. I am choosing to trust that He is taking the message of this book where He wills, for His purposes. Here is an introduction to a video series we filmed for Right Now Media, the largest streaming library of Bible study videos inspiring faith across the globe, every day of the week. If your church doesn’t subscribe to Right Now Media, perhaps you can ask them to look into it!  Should you want to order your copy of Don’t Try to Pray Like Her,  I will list some shopping links below the video.  If you enjoy what you read, please consider leaving a review on sties like Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Christian Book, etc. It helps spread the message to others who can benefit from it, too. 

I suppose that covers it. I’ve ran out of words for now. I warned you I was going to be long-winded! caDrop me a note if you want to, or a prayer request. As always, I may not be able to respond promptly,  but you can count on me getting back to me. I treasure this community!

Hugs, Shellie