Last year the Northern Eastern coast of the States had been hit by hurricane Sandy. Millions of people had lost their electricity and were facing cold weather as well.
While the mountains of my home escaped the greatest destruction from
Hurricane Sandy they still received a devastating two day blizzard
brought on by the storm. Over three feet of wet, heavy snow crushed our
communities. The roofs of businesses collapsed. Thousands of trees lay
split and broken on the ground. Roads were blocked. Power lines were
down and countless homes were without phones, electric, and heat. We
were trapped in the cold and the dark. All I could do was wrap my
children in their warmest clothes, huddle under blankets, and smile when
our newest puppy dog curled in a ball for warmth and fell asleep on my
daughter's lap.
When the storm stopped, however, people went
outside and met this disaster with an amazing combination of rugged
resilience and kind-hearted compassion. People pulled out their snow
shovels and began to dig out their cars, homes, and driveways. Pick up
trucks and tractors with snow plows lent a hand to the highway workers
clearing the roads. The National Guard arrived to help cut up the fallen
trees and free the tangled power lines. The linemen from the power
companies worked 16 hours a day. People with generators offered their
electricity and people with gas heat opened their homes to their
neighbors. Food was shared. Work was shared.
Smiles were shared.
It was so wonderful to see. Watching it all I was in awe once again at
the strength of the human spirit and the love of the human heart.
The author C.S. Lewis used the phrase, "Surprised by joy" to
describe what he felt when he realized the immensity of God's love for
him and everyone else. I too was "Surprised by joy" when I saw how a
horrible hurricane brought out such an immensity of love in God's
Children.
The human spirit is an amazing thing. Sometimes it
shines brightest when the times are darkest. Sometimes its love warms
our hearts even in the bitter cold of a blizzard.
Joseph J. Mazzella
