What to do when the trees fall

Hurricane Matthew visited South Carolina and roared its way through Hannah earlier this month. I had hoped it would miss us. It devastated islands and then skipped along the eastern coastline, marking all of us from Florida to North Carolina and beyond.

Many of us are still marked and coping.

I knew if the hurricane packed as powerful a punch as Hugo in 1989 we'd lose trees. I had never seen such destruction up close and personal until then.

I also knew if it brought rains, as Hurricane Joaquin had in October 2015, we could see flooding. And until then, I had not seen the damage a little water can do, much less a lot of water.

So, I knew what Matthew was capable of. In that regard, he did not disappoint. He brought rains and washed out a few of our roads; and he brought winds and took down our trees. Some fallen trees seem to have been snatched up from the earth. Some trees look sad, as if they tried to hold their footing but in the end just had to give up. Some trees look defiant, as they lie across roads and houses. They moan, "We fought the good fight and yet are defeated. It is not fair."

I agree. It is not fair. When a tree falls by some freak event in nature, it is sad. I know because I grieve. That is what you do when a tree falls.