As the whole of Florida hunkered down last weekend and braced themselves for the worst as Hurricane Irma beat down upon them with the force of a category 4 storm, there was nothing on the radar, as far as I could see, for Northeast America. However, on the first night of the storm, I dreamt that we, here in the Northeast, were also experiencing torrential rain with the same intensity as the downpour in Florida.  The floodwaters were quickly rising up all around us, and homes were being flooded out.  As the water began to fill up on the ground floor of our home, I started to bail it up and pour it outside our front door.  As I did that, I became very concerned for the safety of our loved ones (the ones currently residing in one of the Caribbean islands) as they tried to make it home through the flooded streets in the dark.

The following night, as I seek God for confirmation concerning this dream, I dreamt that my family and I were among many other families who had found shelter from the storm in a government building. As we waited in this shelter, munching on raw carrots and eating whole kernel sweet corn served straight from the can, I longed for the taste of a hot home-cooked meal or some Chinese food.  I watched as a truck carrying non-perishable food items drove up towards the front of the building but all I could think about was how good some Chinese food would taste right then and there.  As we waited in this shelter, there was an explosion in the ground.  I watched as a man who was standing near that location fell headfirst into the hole that opened up in the ground and as the wall crumbled on the same side of the building.

Two weeks earlier, as Hurricane Harvey started to beat down mercilessly upon Texas, I dreamt that my family and I had moved up to higher ground and were preparing to rebuild our home even as we looked down to see water running like rivers along three city streets, a huge body of water to the right of us and a smaller creek to the left of the streets. I wondered then as I do now, whether the flooding I saw in my dreams were for Texas and Florida or a premonition of a flooding heading towards us here in the Northeast in the near future.  Was I simply seeing and feeling what they were or was I seeing what will be heading towards us here in the Northeast?

No one would be happier than I would be if it turns out that I was simply experiencing what those being affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma were experiencing. It would be simply wonderful if we could go through the entire hurricane season without a single hurricane impacting the Northeast but that may be wishful thinking on my part.  One source tracking the path of Hurricane Jose reported only this morning that there is an increased chance of a direct impact along the U.S. East Coast from this storm but it is much too early to determine the exact magnitude or location.

If nothing else, these dreams taught me, at the very least, that the devastation that struck Texas and then Florida weeks later could very easily happen to any one of us. None of us is exempt.  When disasters such as these strike and everything is out of our control, it teaches us to put our trust in God, the only one who is truly able to protect us.  It teaches us to watch and pray for self and for others that God will protect us and give us strength to endure patiently and to rebuild our lives.  It makes me realize how very vulnerable each one of us is, and how weak our faith is even at its best.  It teaches us to put our trust in God and not in material things which are here today but could just as easily be gone tomorrow.