Ave Maria:-)
When tragedy strikes, there are no words for it.. we can prepare all we want , as much as our human resources and capabilities will allow - but the reason it is called tragedy is because there are times, that not all our human powers in the world can soften its impact. By this time, many have shared about Typhoon Yolanda, we are once again famous worldwide but in a painful way..we have been ravaged by a calamity of a magnitude never experienced. From Day1 after Yolanda came to inflict death and destruction..a cloak of heaviness permeated the air, twas as if any place I'd breathe in, the heaviness was ever present. News filtered by the hour until our nation and the world was horrified at the extent of destruction. Like many Filipinos, and men/women of other nationalities we connected to this horror ... finding ourselves crying, angry, frustrated that it had to happen and was still happening.Finally today, amidst fears that an anonymous text message could be true..we did learn officially that a nephew had lost his wife and eldest son but that by a miracle, two younger sons survived , are alive and now recovering in Cebu.
Mayor Romualdez of Tacloban City was speaking in an interview the other night - He said that what they needed were words of encouragement..words to inspire them to rise from the ashes. He quoted what elders of Leyte said: "It was like this after World War II.. but we survived as a people, we recovered and built again."
If indeed gov't officials are not expertly functioning in Post Yolanda period..."Hey give them a break... we donot have super cyclones every week. We donot have several provinces with towns wiped out you'd think they never existed ."
It is a rather strange grief ..as you could still function and go about your duties..your work... doing the errands... but anytime of the day, whether it is catching the latest news.. commuting on the train... perhaps resting in between work ... the tears fall, your heart is physically painful as you know what thousands of kababayans are going thru. By the time I finally spoke to Paolo this morning, I think both of us were numbed
thank God I didnot cry over the phone..nor did he. Perhaps the blessing that the two younger boys were alive and safely brought to Cebu was the greater emotion of the moment. There is time to grieve.
I don't think that we "outsiders" are truly the ones who will give aid and strength to the victims of Yolanda.
It could be the other way round.It is them who will be giving to us a gift that is divine.
In an almost supernatural way, the grace of God covers our brothers and sisters. God dearly loves Filipinos, the stubborn, spoiled Christians that we are but He loves us and in countless ways has given us the grace to overcome adversities, poverty, corruption etc.. but our inherent faith proves stronger than our sinfulness...our weaknesses.
What is the gift that Yolanda victims give us ?
HOPE.... because, the smiles and the grace , the playful humor Pinoys exude even in the midst of suffering make us believe that we can overcome severest of trials.
LOVE.... yes because they give us an opportunity to love and to express this love concretely. We never realize our capacity to love even strangers until something like this affects us... this makes us realize we were cut out to love one another, not to kill one another, not to hate.
There is almost something innocent /pure about their smiles . No they are not dumbos.
Did you think Pinoys are clueless about their plight? No way.
They just truly believe and trust in a loving God... in a God who at times might exercise a disciplining hand but who nevertheless chooses to forgive and forget our offenses.
From countless videos of even past calamities....
Elders would calmly say :
" Kalooy ha Ginoo... makaka bangon kita." (by God's tender mercies, we can recover.)
" Asya it pag-buot ha Ginoo." (this is God's Will )
It is not spoken in anger or despair.. it is spoken in faith,hope and love.
Smile tho your heart is aching... smile even tho it's breaking .... how achingly beautiful your faces are dear Filipino brothers and sisters... how suffering only makes your true beauty more noticeable.
thank you for the courage you teach us...thank you that you help make our country and even the world one... I'm afraid at your expense.
Bangon mga kapatid...Arise, shine out for the light of Christ comes.
