One for the Books

This has been an exceptional weekend. Most of you know that my family was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Sandy a couple of weeks ago. My parents, aged 66 and 70, had the unenviable task of discarding 40+ years of memories in their home in order to begin the process of healing and rebuilding. This is the same house I grew up in; I lived my first 25 years of my life in. And I felt it important that I return to my childhood home and help. This past weekend, I have been working non-stop from Friday morning through Sunday evening helping to destroy my parents' home. The downstairs took on almost 4 feet of water and practically all their personal belongings on that ground floor had to be discarded. All the furniture, electronics, files, and decades of accumulated memories (and junk) were ruined. Hundreds upon hundreds if vinyl records (33, 45, and 78 rpm) were all left at the curb for the bull dozers and dump trucks. In addition, my parents' full size, slate top pool table may not be salvageable. All I ask of this coming week is that you bear with me as I recover physically and emotionally from such a taxing event as I may not be 100% while I try to catch up on preparing for school and the students. I promise, I am giving it my all, and I intend to be back on track before the end of the week. And I know that everyone will be kind and understanding as we get things moving in the right direction. I truly appreciate everyone's cooperation.