It's been a little over a month since Helene came to visit.

Thought about posting “Before and After” pictures representative of the vast damage done in this area. But I have deliberately not taken/shared pictures of what I’ve been seeing, because … I dunno … wanting to respect others’ privacy and help preserve their dignity?

Y’know, I had NO idea as to the severity of the storm at first. Didn’t lose ability to communicate until about 8:30am after the storm. It was still drizzling rain, so I didn’t venture out until that afternoon (Friday, 9/27) and then only in my yard to do a little cleanup. It wasn’t until Saturday, when I still had no power, no water, no cell service, and things still seemed oddly quiet, that I went out for a walk.

And then I saw all the broken trees and downed power lines and was unable to walk certain streets. Didn’t take long at all to realize how incredibly fortunate I’d been.

But you know what? Most of the people you run into say pretty much the same thing: “We were spared. We were lucky. We’re counting our blessings.” Doesn’t matter if they lost power for a week or if they’re still without power. They may still be bailing water out of a nearby stream to flush their toilets. They may have had a tree sitting on the roof or on a car. They may still be crossing a stream on a temporary footbridge to get groceries/supplies. They are still saying, “Others had it so much worse.”

Damage this widespread is going to take a long time to repair. It’s only natural to suffer occasional frustrations and express impatience … and maybe sometimes to feel a little bit of envy for others who’ve been able to get back on their feet a little more quickly. But over and over I see patience and resilience, and hear expressions of gratitude for the many Helpers, both from within our area and “from off.”