Hurricane Sandy left behind catastrophic damage in the Northeast, and as predicted by meteorologists the weather systems, that combined with cold temperatures and moisture-filled air dumped many feet of snow on West Virginia and bordering states. Our prayers go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy that left millions without power and destroyed homes and businesses. At last count, the storm also took the lives of more than 70 people in the United States and many more in the Caribbean. We are praying for the grief of mourning families and communities as they clean up and dig out of the debris and snow.

There is nothing like a disaster to bring people together. The scale of this tragedy does not happen everyday, but tragedy happens everyday around us. We have an opportunity to shoulder burdens, mourn with those who mourn, and pick up those who have fallen. There is always need around us and it only takes a decision to do something about it.

There will always be opportunists who look at tragedies as a means for their own gain. I see this as an opportunity too, not for gain, but for service. "There is no greater love than that a man lay down his life for his friend." There is also something about storms like this that remind us how small we are and how we really are not in control. One the thing we can control is how we can respond with love. "Faith, hope, and love. The greatest of these is love."