Thanksgiving sort of snuck up on us this year, but it could not have come at a better time. Our community has been through a lot lately. There was Sandy of course, no power, no phones, no internet, no gas, no railroad, no beautiful autumn fall and then plenty of snow. These were trying times indeed which got worst with every falling tree and every hour of cold darkness. And now, Thanksgiving is here. So what should we do? Should we continue to focus on the negative aspects of what we have been through, or shall we focus on the positive aspects of our recent struggle and give thanks for coming out of the storms damaged maybe, inconvenienced surely, but not destroyed.
Many of our fellow New Yorkers in general and our fellow Long Islanders in particular, have suffered greatly from the storms and will continue to suffer for the foreseeable future. Let’s be thankful that we are not suffering as they are this Thanksgiving, and let’s continue to commit ourselves to helping them in any way that is needed. After all, in the grand scheme of things we are all in this together.
Let us be thankful for the sense of community that came in the aftermath of the storms. Neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers; it doesn’t get any better than that.
The election is over, your mail got through, you had quality time with your family, your garbage was picked up and Harbor Deli, Let There Be Bagels and Sullivan’s all had generators! Let’s be thankful.
Let’s us be thankful for all the electric crews from around the country who came to help us get the power back on. For this Thanksgiving at least, let’s not argue over who is to blame for the length of time it took to get the power back on. The power is on because of the help of others who came to be part of the solution. Let’s be thankful for that.
Let’s be thankful that there were not many serious injuries from the storms and definitely thankful that no one was killed because of the storms. Let us be particularly thankful to our first responders who steadfastly put themselves in harm’s way during and after the storm to protect and serve our community. A job well done indeed.
Let’s be thankful that there is an emergency response system and procedures in place, staffed by competent people and bolster by compassionate volunteers who again, looked after those in the most need. Remember that any system or procedure can never be perfect when it is up against Mother Nature; it can only be affective. Ours was. Another job well done.
Let us always remember that it is easier to bitch about a problem and criticize the efforts of others who attempt to address the problem. The true lesson to learn from what we have been through is that it is better to be part of the solution. Thankfully, in this way, we all come out for the better.
Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you.
