Whispers (and Shouts) after Sandy

Rehoboth Beach, DE as Hurricane Sandy crashes

Hurricane Sandy's roar and bluster and howl have left and the full assessment of the damage is still being made, but people are talking - some in whispers - about the awesome power of this force of nature.

There's lots of flooding everywhere. We are still not in our home because the road leading to our street is flooded and impassable. We're hoping that, perhaps later today or first thing tomorrow morning, we'll be back in our own home, even though we are deeply grateful for the generous hospitality of our dear friend who has taken us in since Saturday night.

Folks here tend to be the rugged individual, pull yourself up by the bootstrap type. Lots of Republicans. We're the red part of the state. It gets decidedly blue north of the canal.

Even so, the buzz is all about Romney's comment about getting rid of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Not only did he think it should be eliminated and given to the states to manage, but he went a bit further:

“Absolutely,” he said. “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better.” Mr. Romney not only believes that states acting independently can handle the response to a vast East Coast storm better than Washington, but that profit-making companies can do an even better job. He said it was “immoral” for the federal government to do all these things if it means increasing the debt.

What's "immoral", it seems to me, is setting up private agencies that make a profit on the disasters of others. You know. The way the prison industrial complex has been privatized. And "caring" for immigration detainees has also been privatized. Both make huge profits for the company and provide a tax revenue stream for the government.

Makes perfect sense. If you have ice in your veins and your heart is two sizes too small.

Even one of our neighbors - with a Romeny/Ryan sticker on his car - shook his head and said, "No, now that just ain't right." Indeed.

The one mercy of the storm has been that, for three blessed days, there has not been one single political campaign ad on television. It's been All-Hurricane-Sandy-All-The-Time.

I think the Hurricane also helped people get their priorities in order.  We're a nation of people who help other people in times of crisis.

So much of what we'll get from our diocesan news sources will be about damage done to church buildings. Prayers will be said in thanksgiving for our places of worship having been out of harm's way.  Thanks be to God, it will be said, as if God were some great Master Puppeteer in total control.

The real stories of real ministries will go untold.

Stories of neighbors taking in neighbors or friends providing hospitality for friends who were evacuated. Stories of people leaving the warmth and shelter of their homes to volunteer in shelters set up for people who were evacuated who don't have friends or relatives on high ground.

There are amazing stories that can't be told - because of HIPAA privacy regulations - about people who are confined to their beds with round the clock care who were evacuated to hospitals or extended care facilities. I can tell you, from listening to conversations on the other end of the cell phone, of the extensive efforts to coordinate transportation and health care.

There are countless numbers of social workers, nurses, nursing attendants, ambulance drivers, police and fire men/women who left the safety of their homes to be with frightened patients and family members until they were settled in their safe, new locations.

These are the real "unsung heroes" whose efforts put a human face on altruistic words like "compassion" and "courage", "kindness" and "going the extra mile".

These are the faces of Jesus - those in need of help and those who came to help. This is the Gospel, alive and living in the midst of the storm.

The roar and howls of Hurricane Sandy have left us with whispers of stories near-misses and escapes and everyday acts of the Incarnation and Resurrection.

After Sandy - 2:35 PM - October 30, 2012

We've just been told - just this red hot second -  that we can return to our home. The initial pictures reveal only minor damage. A few missing picket fences but our plants look okay.

We have electricity. We have heat. We even have cable TV, Wifi and phone service.

We're going home.

We'll be home before nightfall.

I can't adequately express my gratitude for the hospitality of our friend who took us in, gave us shelter, and has been more than generous and kind.

Jesus is, no doubt, very pleased with this servant. 

But, we're going home. Our wee cottage on the Quiet Marsh on the Big Water on Rehoboth Bay is safe and sound and so are we.

I'm not whispering that news. I'm shouting it from the rooftops.

Can you hear me?

We're going home!!!!!