Lucky. Very Lucky.

We here in New York City and the northeastern United States went through an absolutely terrible day on Monday, and I was one of the very fortunate ones.

Hurricane Sandy hit the United States with amazing winds and rain, and caused a storm surge that flooded areas of Lower Manhattan and other parts of the five boroughs of New York. The rain was actually pretty minimal (7/10 of an inch at Central Park). It was the surge that caused all the major damage here.

The subways are shut down (hence no Trivia Night this week), the schools closed, and many businesses closed. The winds here reached 80 MPH, and it was scary looking out the window and seeing hundred-year-old trees swaying, windows rattling and the whistling of the gale-force winds.

But I was very fortunate. My home got through without a scratch. I took a tour of my neighborhood and saw a few downed trees. (See picture included here.) Thank goodness I was nowhere near any of the major flooding that hit the city, or the devastating fire that consumed 80 homes in Breezy Point, Queens.

I never stop thanking God for all the blessings I have in my life, and getting through the hurricane with everything in my life still intact is another thing to be thankful for.

Please do say a prayer tonight for those good folks who have been adversely affected by Sandy, and especially for those who have lost their lives because of it.