It was a beautiful Saturday. My children jumped on the trampoline in our backyard and swung on the swings of the ancient play set and rode their bicycles through the grass.  Their voices carried into the yards of neighbors as they played catch and chased the dog. A mile from here, many of the yards, yards where children played last summer and early last fall, are still empty, as my neighboring town of Union Beach, New Jersey was one of the hardest hit towns in the state by Hurricane Sandy.  Blocks of homes were wiped out, if not flooded to … Continue reading →