Every breath is a second chance.
– Always, Switchfoot

My heart these days can’t help but feel heavy and sad seeing the news about the aftermath of the super typhoon Yolanda which literally wiped out most of the coastal areas in Leyte and Samar provinces and other parts of Visayas Region where it passed. I really can’t stop tears from falling as I read the horrible news and gruesome pictures of lives claimed by the notorious Yolanda, and how the survivors are struggling, not just physically with having no food and water for days, but moreso with the emotional loss of their loved ones who didn’t make it. At the same time, I feel so grateful and blessed to have been given another chance at life, that our province Negros Occidental was spared from the storm’s wrath, despite being under Signal No. 4 typhoon category.

Photo by AFP/Ted Aljibe

Few days from now, I will be turning another year older… I was planning to make it a “sitting-pretty” day – no cooking or doing any grand birthday preparation, just resting and getting comfy. I was planning to just have dinner with family, no invited guests to free myself from cooking and cleaning up the house. But after the typhoon, I have decided to invite some friends from our community to hold an intercessory prayer here at home with special intention for the typhoon victims. I’m also thinking of practical ways on how to send help via trusted organizations. I’ll try to check with our community if there are some relief operations being organized.

Seeing such devastation happening in our country can truly make one realize the more important things in life. So many storms have passed us by, but this one is dreadfully different. I know it will take considerable time to rebuild the damaged areas, but I’m confident that the spirit of hope is deeply-rooted in the hearts of the Filipinos, and we will overcome with God’s help.