Thanksgiving

The flood waters have long receded and power was restored but the aftermath of Sandy is much more than that.

Because of Sandy many people lost their homes, some lost their lives and many lost their source of income.

I consider myself blessed because my home is intact and although my family had to cope with a loss of power it could have been so much worse.

As it was my husband and I both had our jobs affected by the storm. We work within a few blocks of each other and after the storm both our companies were shut down. They both lost power and his received major flooding.

No work equals no pay and for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck this was frightening. The first few days after Sandy we were living with no power, gas rationing and the anxiety of not knowing if or when we would return to work.

Yes we were so much "luckier" than those whose homes were destroyed by the hurricane. We still had our home but our means of keeping it was threatened.

My job finally re-opened on Election Day and we were also told that we would be paid for the time that the business was closed. That was a huge relief. My husband's business had been hit harder. They lost almost all their inventory and although they first told the employees that their pay would not be affected they soon found out that their insurance would not cover their losses.

It is now almost a month later and his job still has no heat. He went back to work shortly after I did but it is far from normal. They had portable toilets set up in the parking lot and generators gave them light.

I have heard that some businesses will not re-open after Sandy. For now I have to say that we are thankful for what we do have. The work situation is not ideal but it could be so much worse. We are struggling financially due to his loss of pay (he did apply for assistance but that will take weeks) but we have seen worse times.

On this Thanksgiving day I remember the hurricane and sitting in the dark listening to the wind howl. I am grateful that my family survived it. Property can be replaced and jobs change. The people that matter the most to me are here and that is all that matters in the end.

For those who survived Hurricane Sandy this Thanksgiving is a reminder that although we were knocked down we got back up and we will get through this. There is always something to be grateful for and someone always is coping with worse than you.

Most of all, remember what really matters to you. Be grateful for it!