Sandy Town Hall Meeting/family secrets

The impact of the Superstorm will be felt in this community for years to come. There are businesses that still have not reopened; people that have not returned to their homes. Many wish to be bought out, never to return to their former areas where destruction and death occurred. Some have nothing left and still nowhere to go; some are living in cars, guarding over their properties yet to have electricity, heat, or water restored.

This was confirmed at a town hall meeting last night at the high school nearest to one of the most devastated areas. In the beginning, it was standing room only, with most public officials on the stage. The president came the week before Thanksgiving, a holiday I took the time to research that had its own aftermath I'm almost ashamed I didn't know earlier. Some of the people in the town hall meeting had spoken to the president, some were in photos posted on Facebook. Nothing was happening for most in a timely manner. The Red Cross going around in neighborhoods ringing a bell for hot meals or distributing blankets was no longer enough. The food and clothing had either run out, had become limited, or moved to other locations most didn't want to go to.

As the town hall progressed the crowd thinned as hours passed; some went into the high school cafeteria where agency representatives continued to provide updated information or additional resources. Most who had left the auditorium had finished what they either had to say or heard enough, most leaving without the answers they sought, still discouraged and frustrated. There had been tear-filled voices in the microphones, and anger. There were notes taken, with no timelines guaranteed, or practical acceptable solutions for those with serious concerns, many of which were being heard for the first time. I took photos to remember, including the media cameras and their reporters, none of which I saw later on the 11 o'clock news, simply because I didn't watch.

The reality was on the ground, in this community, and others hit as hard. Recovery will take years. They say another storm of this magnitude in the near future is unlikely; it's no consolation to those whose feelings range from uncomfortable to a despair that their homes no longer exist or if rebuilt will be subject to the same destruction the next hurricane season; there's no guarantee it won't be next year, in the next decade, or the next century. There is no protection from the ocean; there will be more storms. No one wishes to be in the path of any at any time, never knowing when the next 'big one' will hit.

I was given a list of real estate options to explore in the event I chose to move out of a flood zone in one of the less affected areas, where many street lights remained out and generator lights still shined their ghostly brightness to the hum of their motors, a sound now associated with trauma and uncertainty, not for the first time.

I had planned to continue the family story written by my grandfather's sister who passed away before I knew of her, which will continue. It contains within it the seeds of deeply buried family secrets I didn't realize until reading it as it unfolds in tolerable installments here. She never knew how her son really lived later in life. I'm sure she was an okay woman, whose child was exposed to and committed an unthinkable act. She likely died before it happened; I'm not sure. I only realized until reading her story why some things did or didn't happen during my childhood, when I expected more, when I expected to be protected and believed. Had the truth been known or dealt with, the consequences could have been more devastating than a hurricane, though not as much as a child's trust betrayed or dismissed.

Here We Go Again

Thought of entry first part of the day, then remembered after it was too late. Too much going on for one person responsible for more than one child or family. Aftereffects of situation continue for years, like those in the wrong place at the wrong time after a hurrican or tsunami. In those circumstances, those who lose the most are not held responsible for their location when disaster struck. By the same token, an individual taken advantage of or exploited, be they child, woman, or grandparent, should not ever be blamed for what happens to them at the hands of someone else or other people.

Sometimes an entire team is involved in the siege, for money, status, or power, at others' expense including sometimes their very lives. It has gone on for decades, and almost a single decade for one family in its entirety, both sides, begun by the continuing acts of a single person putting themselves before others from an instilled sense of entitlement, among other things.

It happens to lots of people, who are worth much more than a so-called net worth. They are grandparents, aunts, uncles, and extended family who are rarely if ever named as parties directly, yet they are directly affected in as many profound ways, to the extent of losing their lives early, with no one implicated or held accountable as the cause.

This is to give perspective, if not inspire, yet the latter is difficult to understand now. When one is removed from a situation after some time the perspective changes, in the best of possible outcomes.

Who reads books anymore? Will it be found on a tablet device, in hardcover, or both? It's not a story; it's a reality for so many. Those not affected think it could 'never' happen to them, just like a natural disaster would not strike them either...

Without the 'bad', the 'good' cannot be appreciated, so they say, though losing years of a childhood or a lifetime takes its toll. In the broad perspective of humanity, it's a part of the social evolution from the framing of the Constitution until now. No one is really immune to the effects in 'the big picture'; it's an illusion to think otherwise.

Maybe not entering on time today as opposed to yesterday is a reflection of dwelling on things that are unpleasant and overshadowing being something not easily addressed or articulated. To focus on putting what's necessary into words takes emotion and energy. The difference between those who survive and those who have more difficulty is a willingness or ability to do the unpleasant, the same as those who succeed.

Business proposal...

Was due the only time that was 'available'. Had I not completely forgotten, time would have been made. Again, it's an indicator of a major shift and overwhelming moments during the transition. The lesson is learning to manage at all times, within reason...

Everything comes back to it's all about the next generation, and one child in particular in the forefront. Lifechanging events lead to more lifechanging events over time when there are common threads, spun into rope, that can become like steel.