Hurricane Sandy: Grateful to Have Light


Four days without power was enough to remind me of all the blessings electric can give.  Yes we kindled fires in the living room, cooked on the grill outside, even kept the fridge running and lights going with the generator; however having modern conveniences work at the flick of a switch in the comfort of a warm light filled home is priceless.   I don't realize the lack of effort I put into my very survival until I went just a little without.  It is no wonder the life expectancy of our ancestors was soo much shorter. 

It feels like magic now, when I press a button and the room swells with light, warm air fills the spaces, burners boil water in seconds, hot showers steam and beat on an aching back...heavenly.  We are lucky, four days was not so bad with wood to heat usand the buzzing of generators chugging along.  No trees have fallen on our house, no flooding in our basement, every shingle on our roof stayed in place, even our flimsy white fence managed to lose only one slot



I drove outside the town to witness the destruction.  Trees uprooted and smashed into the earth, electric poles and wires blocking roads, homes crushed by the weight of massive evergreens and oaks.  I felt guilty almost, amazed at how many trees whom stood towering for decades were blown to the ground like small sappy twigs.  Guilt for the many homes that suffered the wrath of the raging winds and power lines and snapping trees. ( I wish I took more pictures, there was so many pictures I could've taken, but it is hard to do so while driving.)  But mostly for the guilt of feeling blessed and lucky after seeing the devestation of NYC and the jersey shore. 

These poor people left with nothing but soot and mold, toxic water and ashes.  Our Releif Society President from church has a friend who lives in the heart of the debris in Queens, New York.  She has organzied a drive to donate generators, work gloves, blankets, trashbags, cleaning supplies, candy and storage bins.  It's nice to be able to give even just a little.  All supplies are going out today, but if another one is organized I will keep ya posted-especially if you are a local here. 

There is also orgainzing every where you look at "Mormon Helping Hands."  If you go to lds.org and press on new releases, you will find a picture of our stake in PA helping out with the local devastion.  My old high school was taken over by Red Cross for about 250 people to stay in due to devastation to homes.  "Helping Hands" is serving food, cutting up fallen trees and cleaning up anyway they can.  There is a pic of my Dad helping out on picture 15 and 16 and 18.  He's the shorter gray haired guy. My hubby helped out  a little too, but I don't think they caught any pictures of him.  If you feel the urge to help please feel free to check out lds.org  There are many ways to help and many organizations out there that are doing a wonderful job helping. 


This has been such a learning curve, dealing with natural disasters while thinking of others and serving them in the best way you can.  It is a bit of a weakness for me, but I am sure there will be many more oppurtunities coming my way.  I wish and pray speedy recoveries for those dealing with the outcome of hurricane Sandy.  It has taught me to count my blessings and look tp the future with hope.  :-)



 

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