Hurricane Irene

Simply put, Irene was the least welcome houseguest this weekend. She tore through the east coast from Puerto Rico straight up to Maine – destroying weekend plans, vacations, homes, businesses and lives. All told, she claimed 27 lives and displaced more than 27,000 people now staying in 500 Red Cross shelters along her path.

My heart goes out to all those hurt by Hurricane Irene – we pray for your speedy recovery.

With plenty of warning, people along the east coast braced for Irene. Some were evacuated, others boarded up their homes and businesses while others simply stocked up on batteries, water and other essentials.

Sometimes it takes watching catastrophic disasters like Katrina and numerous Tsunamis for people to actually heed the advice of the experts. The good news is that we finally all started to listen.

Sure, there are facebook postings about Irene being “boring” and a “no show.” Well, my response to those lucky enough to be spared is “thank goodness.” Others who did not end up in the tropical storm end of Irene should be so lucky to look back and think they were too prepared.

It’s times like these when we should look around, give thanks for the things we still have and take time to appreciate the small things in life.

So, we were prepared and took action. Now, it will take “a village” to rebuild all that was lost. We may be through the storm, but the work begins now.

I wish everyone along the east coast a quick restoration. May the sunshine today be the first step of a new start for you all…