Irene: a gift?

Our recent bout with Hurricane Irene (or should I say Tropical Storm Irene depending on where you were at the time she chose to linger) is technically over, but her effects live on.  To be in the dark for so many days and nights has proven to be an experience filled with pain, fear and loss,  along with their mirror images of peace, serenity and gratitude.  Without wanting to come off as Mary Poppins, I can honestly say that we received some clear and amazing gifts from Irene’s visit.  This is not to diminish any of the human and animal suffering that occurred and continues to linger throughout the Eastern Seaboard, particularly in the Carolinas and Northern New England states.

Okay, so we had one terrible accident resulting from Irene’s presence.  Because we had no power I had to lift and close the garage door manually.  On Monday morning I ended up in the Emergency Room of Danbury Hospital with fractured and lacerated fingers after getting my hand caught and smashed in the folds of the garage door as it was closing.  And, Natacha backed into the fence doing some damage as she was attempting to get out of the car and to my rescue.  The good news is that I, unlike a man that was in the ER earlier than I, did not lose any fingers and I will heal just fine. Now the flip side:  We were able to be of service and to assist people in need.  Although we could not get the power to come back on for ourselves or anyone else, we spent time with others in need and our presence was their (and our) comfort.  We had plenty of food, water and ice to share.  We had each other and our wonderful friends and families.  We learned that throughout the day and in the evenings there were worthwhile and gratifying things to do aside from working and watching TV … like having meaningful conversations, laughing, being together, dining by candlelight, and planning our future.

So, in earnest we say “Thank You, Irene” (I think)