POWERFUL TWIST

  It's Tuesday late afternoon. Earlier the wind and rain let up so that Buddy and I were able take a walk in our area.  Storm Sandy had passed by earlier. We definitely felt our home shake. But as we walked on neighbouring streets everything looked fine. No noticeable severe damage, just some Halloween decorations that had fallen from their stations and a sign showing some historical old homes. Wow! Are we lucky!! 
   From the images of the TV presentations we saw what a few hours of very ugly weather did. It  totally change people's lives and it had us feeling very sad. We understand that horror, that fear and the sense of helplessness upon seeing one's home and belongings gone in a flash. For us we recall the smoke chocking us and the then our rescue. After a brief in hospital stay for smoke inhalation, we recalled our living in hotels for weeks as our future was being sorted out. Then just as we found a rental home, bought some beds, a table with chairs, kitchen items and a small TV and moved in from the hotel, I developed a severe ache. But I had to fix things setting up our new place enough for the household to be functional. I had weird  feeling that I would be unable to carry on. I had not felt well for a while. That night my fears became real. A was hit with a more severe ache. Quietly and alone I headed for the nearby hospital.
    In the emergency during the early hours of the morning I was told to have my family come by before noon. A specialist had diagnosed a large tumour in my belly! Cancer? He wanted to discuss options with my family.
    But to me this did not seem very serious. I was still recovering from the loss of our home. That loss impacted me enormously. And a couple of weeks later I had the recommended surgery. Colon cancer stage three was the outcome from that tumour but for me this was not as devastating as the loss of our home. I recovered. It was physically painful. Still it was nothing like the loss I'd felt from the fire. 
    Buddy and I can well imagine the horror that millions now have to face as Sandy moves and leaves a terrible destruction. The loss of homes from floods and even fires will be such a sadness for those who have been affected. This is not going to fade away quickly. We understand that.
   This year Halloween is not the same. There's an added terrible twist, a horror that so many must withstand. They will not be celebrating. They are in shock. Buddy thinks we should send our Halloween candy money to the Red Cross. I think so too and I think we should do more. We are hoping to find ways to show we care. If you are not a victim I hope you will also find your own way to help out. But that's entirely up to you.