Her Gentle Presence

If there would be one person who can anticipate all my needs, read my deep-seated emotions and interpret my experiences meaningfully, it would be my mother. Call it mental telepathy--but my mom is a true mind and heart reader! Her concern for me and my siblings is something so wonderful and pressingly lasting. My gratitude for my mom, for her gentle presence is something I will not let loose. In moments of despair and loneliness, mama lyd's smile always calm us, always reassuring us that everything will fall into places. Mama Lyd spells out all the qualities a loving and nurturing mother could be. Today she reassured us that despite of the impending danger (typhoon), we will all be okay. Her virtues and capacity to love unconditionally are her investments. How blessed I am to have been born to such a wonderful mother. Her strength and wisdom guides me, her zest for life inspires me, her kindness and grace warms me. I can only wish to have the light that she gives for my siblings and the people she served-for she touches all around her with a kindred grace. I cant help but be truly grateful to God for giving me this wonderful woman--our gentle shield, comfort and friend.

Grace to See the Beauty

When I opened my email today I was shocked to find 137 new emails. The biggest number so far--- breaking my daily record of emails received. The emails were mostly from friends and relatives abroad who, like any other Filipinos overseas-- were extremely concerned with the effect of Typhoon Ondoy and now--the coming of the second typhoon, Pepeng. Many of my friends and relatives even more panicked when they heared of the tsunami and earthquake in Indonesia, knowing the proximity of Indonesia to the Philippines. For the past days I cant help but be affected emotionally by this disaster. Memories of my personal experience of typhoon reming (2006) and the Hubo landslide (2008) kept coming in. I tried making myself extra busy at work and in my center but I would be a hypocrite if I will not admit that the news, the pictures, the videos kept on reminding me of the past. As the massive devastation of the record downpour from Typhoon "Ondoy" unraveled few days ago, I cannot help but feel a little depressed...Bicolanos can swear how hard the road to recovery was and personally, I do not want other Filipinos to go through that again! The stories of tragedy, separation, displacement of families, etc.. it pains me so much. It shakes me to my very core. With the coming of typhoon pepeng, its double victimization for the people. Four days after the nce-in-a-lifetime flood that submerged most of Manila and neighboring areas, claiming nearly 250 lives, now---Typhoon Pepeng is lurking in the eastern part of the country making people more afraid as its course signals more storms, more destruction, more tragic stories and maybe more deaths. I can't help but imagine the scene after typhoon reming--people crammed into hundreds of schools, gymnasiums and other makeshift evacuation shelters---together with the discomfort, the emotional victimization is even more devastating.

I hope the Philippines will beautifully emerge as survivor after these large scale disasters. Now I am determined to be more prayerful and take responsibility not only to myself but my fellowmen and my country. I know how resilient the Filipinos are--and I am praying that God will even bless us with courage and the grace to see beauty in the midst of chaos.