Hurricane Sandy and showers of blessings

Although late in the season, this storm still packed a punch. Enough to rival Katrina's fame from '05. The Jersey shore has been left devastated. Hitting on Monday night, October 29, there was already significant damage from flooding and high winds before she even made landfall. Entire towns along the barrier islands were demolished; homes were washed from their foundations; flooding was so severe that many towns became an extension of the ocean. Not only was the shoreline affected, but the entire state is mainly without power. Still. The cleanup is ongoing, from downed trees and power lines to flooding and contaminated water. Schools are shelters, gyms are showers, cafes are charging stations; and who knows how long this will continue. People's homes are destroyed, their lives horribly affected by this historic superstorm.
Here is East Windsor, we aren't any more lucky than the next town over. Except we still have our homes. We may not have power, but our memories, our investments, and our family units are physically safe, if not a bit chilly. But we are being impacted just the same. Limited power is affecting which stores and gas stations are open; downed power lines and snapped poles are having to be repaired; and in the meantime, families are huddled in their houses trying to stay warm. I've never seen a whole town shut down like this... And we are seeing minimal damage as compared to the shore and lower Manhattan/Queens. It's going to take months, no, years to rebuild. A lifetime for some to recover; if that's even long enough.
I feel so blessed- not because my power never went out or that my house didn't flood or get impacted by a falling tree; but because I, we, my family, was sheltered. Protected. Unharmed and safe. We were looked after. And as a mother who obsesses all the time about the protection and well-being of my child, it brings to mind the image of God as a loving, concerned parent wanting me to stay safe from harm's way. It's true- you see God differently as a parent than when just a person. I'm grateful. He cradled us in His care and we came through unscathed. So I'll sit in traffic for as long as I have to, or do without gas or groceries or other luxuries of life, waiting on restoration of normalcy... Because I'm blessed.