I experienced my first storm on January 24, 2025. Wikipedia described Storm Éowyn as "an extremely powerful and record-breaking extratropical cyclone".
It was the most severe storm to hit Ireland in over 60 years, with wind gusts measuring up to 183 km/h. Nearly 1 million homes, farms and businesses were without power, and over 200,000 households without water.
I was at Lynster House in Monaghan, Ireland, when the storm hit. We lost our power and phone signal, and we had no water other than in the kitchen and one toilet in the whole house - and we were expecting 11 guests to check in that day, but had no way of contacting them to inform them of the situation as the storm had caused mobile service disruption across the country.
All 11 guests arrived after dark (the sun sets around 5 p.m. here), and we made do with candles for light, extra clothing for heat, and for everyone to share the use of just one toilet - and probably the most challenging for most, no phone coverage and Wi-Fi.
Before dark, we had to scramble to look for the few homes that had electricity and/or generators to borrow more candles in anticipation that all the guests would check-in, and to also ask to borrow freezer space for our frozen food before they defrost. All our other fridge content had to be moved outdoors to be kept cold.
It was a chaotic day, more so for other people, like the families who had to be evacuated from their homes, with many cases involving roofs being blown off; or the elderly living alone with no power, heat and water.
I was surprised to wake up the next day to a very calm morning. The air was completely still and quiet, a big contrast to the howling winds the day before. There was also a thin layer of snow, giving everything an ethereal feel. I stood outside for a while, totally oblivious to the cold, and very unfamiliar with this sense of calm.
You see, exactly a year ago that day, I lost Joshua, and the effect of that on me is like having a never-ending storm within my inner being. I have been drowning in a tumultuous sea of grief; I have been in mental, physical, and emotional pain so excruciating; and I can't stop the howling in my head, and my heart, and my soul.
This is one storm that I don't see ever coming to an end. The only calm I will get is when I am finally reunited with Joshua.
Always loved, never forgotten, forever missed.
Joshua Tan Peng Boon
January 1, 2005 - January 25, 2024
Comments