Keeping it all In Perspective

We took no damage to our home per say. Five roof tiles, a panel of screening on our porch, and many downed trees. We were able to keep towels around the back door as the rage of the storm beat against it trying to get in, pouring water through the seals. We had water coming in through the door and I am feeling blessed that the PB County building codes are for all doors to open out... othewise I feel certain the door would have blown in.

My children suffered no emotional damage that we can see, laughing over the fact we kept moving them from room to room until they ended up in our safe room, a tiny bathroom. They slept on the floor while my husband and I closed off all doors leading to the small hallway and he and I huddled together on pillows on the hallway floor. The only thing the boys say now is, “Next time, could you please turn off the radio? We had a hard time sleeping.” We had the radio on all night, waiting for the voices to tell us when to expect relief, when would the eye of the storm pass over, to give us just an hour where we couldn’t hear the incessant rattling of our shutters, the wind screaming around our house, and the rain coming down in what must have been a skin peeling force. We wanted the peace of not listening for a tornado. But we never received it as we stayed in the eye wall from 10PM until 7AM. Constant.

We were blessed.

We have cut up our trees, hauled the remnants of our debris to the curb. We’re assessing whether any of the trees leaning towards the house can be saved. All in our neighborhood, driving around and checking on neighbors, are feeling so blessed.

My children have lost their school. The roof on the 2nd floor caved, filling the school with water. I nearly cried for the first time when I showed up at the school, unsure what to expect, only to have a Mom stop me, hands full of 30 lbs of supplies she was hauling to her car to store for the school, and said, “I am so sorry. I saw what happened to your husband’s office. I am so very sorry.” She is in the midst of her own personal loss, her children’s school and she took the time to stop me, wave me down, and tell me she was sorry for me. Yet, I feel blessed.

My husband suffered significant damage to his office. His business is located on the 2nd story of a building and the pressure of the storm pulled out the windows of his office, shattering them to the parking lot below. They took in water and wind.

We are blessed.

One of my husband’s employees, someone who has been with us for so long we almost consider her family, her younger sister works at a bank. On Saturday night, her 48 year old boss had a heart attack during the storm. His wife called 911. They couldn’t get out to him. He died. And she stayed with the cold dead lifeless body of her soul mate, through the storm until they could get to her and take him away.

We are blessed. Others have lost more than I can imagine.