I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be always in my mouth Psalm 34:1

Last night, a few hours after Commencement exercises concluded at Montclair State University, we had a substantial tree fall onto the house which has been unofficially dubbed “Newman II” – the new property the Archdiocese of Newark purchased for our expanding program here last August.  The tree appears to have rotted out inside and simply fell (considering there was no rain or even a breeze last night) around midnight.

Thank God – no one was injured.  That’s the most important thing.  

And additionally, thankfully we have insurance, the dedication and support of the Archdiocese of Newark, attentive responses from the City of Clifton (Fire Department, Police Department, Buildings Department) as well as our own landscaper (who is also a Clifton Firefighter) who were on scene soon after this incident and been on site since 7 am and are putting together a plan of action to get the tree off the house, do some temporary work to make sure there’s no further damage – and will eventually repair/rebuild the roof.

Obviously anyone who’s been a homeowner and gone through similar incidents (and far worse – particularly thinking back to almost 2 years ago with Superstorm Sandy) know this is a stressful, unwelcome thing.  But it’s good to keep in mind the blessings when discouraging things arise.

In this social-media world, and before stories and things get exaggerated, I thought I’d share this with you all.  Will keep you posted.  In the meantime, keep us in your prayers…