As I sit in my warm home drinking a hot cup of coffee, my mind drifts to the last 44 hours without power. No lights, heat, internet or television. As enlightening as it was to realize how much most of us depend on necessities like lights and heat, I was grateful when three men from Minnesota Power drove into our yard on a cold, snowy evening to remove branches that had fallen on a power line.

Losing power was an act of nature that no one initiated. I applaud the employees of the power company as they know what they are doing and do it well. Some people got their power restored sooner, some...