The name Irene means "peace" in Greek. But the Irene that's barreling up the eastern seaboard is anything but peaceful.
When I saw the hurricane names for this year, Irene jumped out at me. I was really hoping when this hurricane arrived it would be a non-event, ideally not even progressing beyond a tropical storm.
But no. While Irene doesn't seem to be a monster storm along the lines of Katrina, like Katrina it appears that Irene's greatest damage will come from storm surge and flooding.
Not quite two years ago my husband's great-aunt, Irene, died just short of her 87th birthday. I'm not sure how Irene would feel about her namesake storm. Other members of our family, who were estranged from Irene and were not above speaking about her in a less than respectful manner, are no doubt having a field day comparing this destructive hurricane to our deceased relative.
Irene didn't always sow peace with her words and actions, but she deserved to be treated with respect, especially because she was incredibly generous, even to those family members who disparaged her. As much as my husband and children miss Irene, I'm glad she's not here to witness the storm with which she shares her name.
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