Welcome To Florida...And Hurricane Ian
PLUS, Announcing This Month's A.V. Club Selection!
Welcome To Florida...And Hurricane Ian
Hello friends and happy Wednesday! How was your weekend and the first half of your week? We just celebrated Rosh Hashana with my family, and it was really, truly lovely. Living near my husband’s family and mine is such a huge blessing, and seeing Mr. Baby grow up with his cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents is a beautiful thing to behold. We prayed in synagogue, ate the different fruits and vegetables that are signs for a good year to come, and spent time together.
And all of this was in advance of Hurricane Ian coming to Florida.
We knew a hurricane was coming before Rosh Hashana. We knew we probably wouldn’t be able to go to synagogue or walk to our friends homes, and we were ready to hunker down with our provisions and water. Thank God, the hurricane actually waited a few days so that we could celebrate the holiday.
But this is our first hurricane now that we are in Florida. And it is scary. Our home has been without power almost all day, and we had to come to my parent’s house so that we could find a place to store my frozen breastmilk. We also don’t know how strong the winds could get, and we know my parents home has more protection than our apartment.
On the other hand, though, it’s likely we aren’t going to get hit that hard. We don’t live right on a coastline, so we should be safe. And that’s a huge blessing. With all that said, I thought I’d share some thoughts I’ve had the last few days. As someone who just recently moved to Florida, I’m not used to this form of natural disaster - I’ve only ever dealt with blizzards (in New York) and earthquakes (in California). So even though this is quite new to me, I wanted to share some of my more positive thoughts that have helped me to “keep calm and carry on.”
We had prior knowledge of the hurricane and were able to prepare. I recently read somewhere that the helpful thing about hurricanes is that you know they’re coming in advance. As someone who was born in California, the really scary thing about earthquakes was that you couldn’t know if and when one would hit. You couldn’t prepare! You had no idea if “the big one” would come while you were out and about, while you were at home, while you were at work. And you couldn’t do anything at all about it. You could have provisions stored away, you could bolt furniture to the walls, you could make sure your home was stabilized, but the limit of your control ended there. With a hurricane, you know in advance that one might come your way. You can make any necessary preparations. You can buy food, toilet paper, water bottles. You can find another place to stay if you are in a really dangerous area. Knowing this gave me comfort when we found out a hurricane was headed our way because I reminded myself that the fact that we knew it was coming at all was half the battle.
We have family and community who can help us if we are in need. The wonderful thing about moving to Florida is that we have family and friends around us. When we first heard about Hurricane Ian, there was a moment of panic. But then I remembered: there are people around us who want to help. If, God forbid, we ran out of water, we know plenty of people who could bring over some to help us. If we needed to leave our home, we had plenty of people who could house us. The knowledge that you are supported, that you are not alone, makes a hurricane seem a lot less frightening because at the end of the day, you know you are safe. And that has helped qualm my fears.
With God’s help, we will be all right. Last but not least, remembering God’s role in my life has helped me to keep perspective. By praying and doing all that I can to prepare, I’ve fortified myself on two fronts. On a spiritual level, I’m praying for God’s help that my family remains safe. On a practical level, I’m doing all that I can to make sure we have what we need. But God is my father, and when I remember that, I know that He is protecting me. And nothing is more comforting than that.
Are any of you in Florida? What are you feeling? What are you doing to prepare? Sending all of my love and prayers to anyone else in affected areas!
ANNOUNCING: This Month's A.V. Club Selection
Our A.V. Club discussion was great this past month and I’m so looking forward to the next one! This month we will be watching Mona Lisa Smile, a movie that has a very clear agenda and will provide ample room for discussion from a classic and conservative point of view. If you’d like to watch it with your friends, have them join the fun by becoming premium subscribers!
TOMORROW NIGHT: Zoom “Girl Chat”
TOMORROW at 8:45 PM EST is our monthly Zoom “girl chat” and I can’t wait! Let’s get cozy and talk about autumn, upcoming holidays, motherhood, weathering this crazy hurricane in Florida, and whatever else we want! Meet you there :)
ANNOUNCING: This Month’s Book Club Selection!
I’m excited to share this month’s book club selection! This month we are reading non-fiction (we switch up month-to-month) and the book we will be reading is…The Case Against The Sexual Revolution! After hearing the author, Louise Perry, on Bari Weiss’ podcast, I reached out to her. She will be coming on my podcast after book club discussion next month and she will be answering YOUR questions! Make sure to keep a running list of questions that I can share with her. I can’t wait to discuss it with you all!
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I'm a wife, mama, opera singer, entrepreneur, YouTuber, and your guide to becoming the classic woman you've always wanted to be! Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter to see how! And together, let's be classic.
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