I was talking to the lawyer on the phone, when suddenly the inside doors slammed shut and the home literally shook... hard.
I thought something hit the home.. one of the big trees? Did an airplane go down, we have a smaller airport very near.
Outside our neighbor pointed to billowing angry black smoke, about 3/4 of a mile as the crow flies.. it was a gas-line explosion. Screamed for DH to come with me and run.. Maybe someone would need a warm home to go to. The townhouses? People must be in shock.
Disaster plan has staging areas, everything, helicopters..
So far one person has been discovered dead.. I think scores of homes damaged .. 55? and 10 devastated. One is clearly gone.. obliterated.
We are off the closed road, no cars, parents would have to pick up children from school.. no buses allowed. And then clear with police to re-enter the area to get back home with granddaughter, She said it almost broke the windows at school.
I believe that.
Even a statue on the fireplace mantel fell off here .. our windows were all closed and the doors forcibly slammed shut to the rooms upstairs.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/House-Explodes-in-NJ-248402661.html
Wow! I'm glad you and your husband & granddaughter are okay.
How sad for the people in the area affected by the explosion.
One never knows how in a split second, our lives can be forever changed.
Thinking of the people in your community.
Bucky
Dearest QD,
It shakes our world in so many ways when sudden disaster and tragedy strike.
We must live as if life were stable and love and plan accordingly.....and yet.....it is all so fragile.
You know me, I have a mantra for everything: For this: "Don't look down".
Which means, in the midst of plans and life there is the unexpected, chaos, disaster.
We regroup, we mourn, we repair, and we go on. And we don't live in fear: we don't look down.
At these time we treasure the ordinary, the dailiness of our lives, the preciousness of our family and friends.
It's a balancing act we all learn: moving forward in life, accepting the fragility and the disasters, and treasuring the now.
Love and strength, Elaine
"....it is all so fragile"
Yes.. very first time I allowed daughter to ride her bike at the pleading of herself and her brother on the rural road .. I got the call. Daughters' bike had been hit and attached to a car and then she was thrown across the road.
Oddly, she and her brother had just left ..when I felt, saw a low dark cloud in my minds eye. Premonition? My grandmother had the same ability. Just a few minutes later phone rang. She had not even made it to the corner. She still gets rib pains.
Always kiss and give hugs. Do not part with harsh words, ever. (I have called someone back or gone to them before I will part on bad terms, even things unresolved. And I say "Be safe" to everyone)
Will wait to see if a donation center is established. I have clean clothes, can get linens and stuff, the extra furniture from mothers' home if it will help. News says some families will need long term rentals... some outer homes may be able to be occupied today.
"..there is the unexpected, chaos, disaster."
I find there is something assuring about Chaos Theory.
Out of Chaos.. comes order.
"Scientists have found evidence of 'chaos' in astronomy, epidemiology, meteorology, air turbulence, the stock market, and the human body. It is in the study of the human body that some scientists are beginning to realize just how important chaos is. Ary Goldberger of Harvard Medical School believes he has discovered not only that the rhythm of the human heart is chaotic, but that chaos in the heart is necessary. When he compared the variations in the heartbeats of a healthy person to those of one suffering from heart disease, the healthy heartbeat was actually the more chaotic.
This has opened some scientists' eyes to the possibility that chaotic behaviour may not be an abnormality, but a characteristic essential to the design of some systems."
Christopher Lampton, Science of Chaos: Complexity in the Natural World, Franklin Watts, New York, p. 78, 1992
So even in the face of adversity..even degrees of extreme..we must find the positive.
I saw this on the news today and it is just devastating. I can't help but wonder if there are deaths that have occurred but not discovered yet. There are so many sad things happening in this world lately. Makes one well aware of our own mortality and the fact that we should be thankful for each day and each of our family members. Irish
Dearest QD and all:
We don't know what each day will bring, and reliance upon on patience, persistence and acceptance are necessary for facing what comes our way.
This morning we heard, by email, from our family in France that they had a fire in their house last night. Everyone is safe, but our son has second degree burns on his face, arms and hands that he got while putting out the fire. And of course the house has extensive damage.
I am practicing patience as I try to reach his cell phone number, and don't seem to be getting through properly. Of course their house phone number is 'gone' from the fire, as are their house computers.
I am practicing persistence in continuing to try to reach him. And it going about my day, following my program plan for the day and remembering to keep breathing!
And I am practicing acceptance by knowing that the pain I feel is normal for a mother: my son is hurt and I will feel pain. I cannot make this 'ok'. I accept support from my family and friends. And accept that this is what is.
Now, more than ever I need to spend time in relaxation meditation throughout the day.
"Don't just do something, stand there." Accept what this day has brought, that all questions won't be answered right away, and that I don't have to figure everything out.
Hugs, Elaine
Elaine - I'm sorry to hear about the house fire and your sons burns. I hope you are able to connect with him soon - as hearing his voice will help to calm you.
I hope your sons burns heal quickly.
It's hard when you are so far away.
From one mother to another, keep breathing.
Thinking of you and your family.
Bucky
I am so very sorry. I live is Southern New Jersey, and it was all over it news stations. I am glad you and your family are safe and praying for those who were affected.
I saw the story on the news as well. So sorry for your community but glad you are safe.