As the state of Florida braced themselves for Hurricane Irma, I had a calm and peace that even some of my closest friends did not understand. After all I have been through since January 1996, I have come to learn how to be calm in the storm. The serenity prayer has recently been reintroduced to me and it is a short and simple reminder to trust.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference

I am blessed that my area of Florida only had some wind and a light drizzle from the storm. I wonder if we got some grace having lived through the devastating Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005. My heart goes out to everyone impacted by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Natural disasters bring the community together. I hope our communities remain united even after recovery from the storms. Peace and Shalom to all!