Yesterday I bought the coolest gift!

Oh, all of Long Island was pretty badly hit; Jen was one of SIX faculty members who lost their homes. I can't even tell you how many of my students were (and some still are) displaced. Our whole school community has been involved in the relief effort, as has everyone I know on some level.

But I've been covering Jen's homeroom each day until she gets to school-- she's been late all year because of the time needed to get her sons to school. So we've grown particularly close.

Oh, He has!!! All we lost was part of our roof, and NONE of my siblings sustained any real damage or loss. We were incredibly blessed.

To be honest, we didn't do anything that isn't being done all over the Sandy area. Most of the people I know who are starting to get back on their feet are doing so primarily because of the help of neighbors and friends. THe people waiting for big checks to arrive are stuck in a holding pattern as the beaurocrats decide what to do.

Here's the letter that goes along with it, with the names deleted:

" April 8, 2013

Dear Mary and John,
Happy Housewarming! I know it's been a long and difficult journey from last October to this point, a journey you'll never forget. And I wanted to get something that would help express my admiration at the way you've handled it.

There's a line in my all time favorite book, Gone with the Wind. Scarlett and Ashley are talking in immediate aftermath of the Civil War. Ashley says "In the end, what will happen will be what has happened whenever a civilization breaks up. The people who have brains and courage come through and the ones who haven't are winnowed out." You and your sons should be proud of the brains and courage you've shown over the past months. You've refused to be winnowed out.

When your sons tell the story of Hurricane Sandy to their own kids, they'll tell of how they always knew they were safe and secure. Of all the steps you took to ensure that things were as normal as possible. They'll laugh about going to school in Illinois, (at Mary's parent's house) and tell of how Grandma and Grandpa even lived in Grandma's school for a few weeks. And they'll tell their kids of how, once they returned to Long Island, you made sure that they were back in their old school with their old friends, even though for a while it was quite a drive. They'll know that they're the well rounded men they will become because their parents took charge, worked hard, and did all in their power to ensure that this huge event, this touchstone, didn't leave them feeling insecure and frightened. Instead, their parents used those brains and courage, along with a lot of heart, and made things right in very short order.

On my bureau I have a stuffed Heffalump, one of the characters from Winnie the Pooh. It became our family nickname for my ever-changing shape in the aftermath of my mastectomy. Every time I look at it, I smile, and realize that I'm much stronger than I would ever have thought. I got you this gift in the hopes that it would have a similar effect on you. Every single time you look at it, I want all four of you to know that you're survivors.

An event like Sandy could break a lot of families. Yet I sense that it has made yours even stronger than before. That doesn't just happen; it's part of who you are and the love you have for your family. It's because you're survivors; you refuse to play the part of the victim.

Again, Happy Housewarming. Here's to "Clearing Storms" and to survivors like the Smith family.
With love,