Beneath the Waters Are Different Stories of Hope

It was not too long ago, when the province of Oriental Mindoro was hit by typhoon Dante last month. Tropical Storm Dante made 6th landfall in Pola, Oriental Mindoro last June 2, 2021 which left a trail of destruction and damages to properties across neighboring municipalities.

A few hours ago, some villages and communities in the province were submerged due to heavy rain brought by typhoon Fabian and the southwest monsoon.

Although disasters and natural phenomena are inevitable, we could not help but ask questions especially to that one merciful divine being above about why it ever happened to us, or even why it took place just when we were not ready for it at all. We ask our God about the reason why this catastrophe ever occurred to us. There came a time as well when we started doubting every single thread of faith that we carry within ourselves and hold onto especially during these times of adversity.

The stretch of bad events which happened recently are too massive to handle already. Beginning with the pandemic which has been posing threats and danger to our lives, the emergence of a new variant of coronavirus disease, the trail of destruction caused by the natural disasters, and even the overwhelming consequences of our failure to respond appropriately to climate change, all these and more when combined all together are too much of a concern.

Days come and go as they say. This moment-to-moment unfolding of a destructive and horrible world emerging before us will quickly pass as how time does. You could find yourself worrying today about the impact of a grueling situation on your daily living, and minutes after you could see yourself rising up and moving on as if nothing ever happened.

There was that one moment in your life where you almost lost grip of the things that really matter to you and you eventually had dug up a hint of hope which steered you towards moving forward. That ability to hold yourself together after having experienced one of the difficult circumstances in your life is power.

To some, it is just getting used or accustomed to different ordeals that life has been throwing at you. But for many, especially to those who are in that situation, it is the power to keep their faith intact despite the stretch of bad events which cause them suffering. It is the power to carry within yourself even the tiniest ray of hope, cling to it, and believe that one day a new tomorrow will come before you.

That power is resiliency. It is your power to recover quickly from adversities, strengthened by every thread of faith and ray of hope you carry within your heart. It is through your unwavering faith that your strength to overcome and triumph over difficulties this life is giving you eventually grows . It is from that glimmer of hope you find yourself holding onto despite the challenging times that beset you, that allow you to keep going.

To be completely honest, I am deeply saddened by the news and different photos circulating online that show the massive impact of the heavy rain brought by typhoon Fabian and the southwest monsoon which consequently inundated low-lying communities in various municipalities in the province, including some villages in Calapan City.

I am no stranger to natural calamity for I have also experienced it myself. Way back 2015, our house which was made of light materials was devastated by typhoon Nona. During that time, we did not know how we would start anew after what happened. We did not have resources to use for the restoration of our house during that time but we had to keep going with our lives. We had to endure a few years living in that wrecked shelter we called home and infused ourselves with the right amount of faith and hope to help us get through each day.

At this very moment, I could not help but think how some of our “kababayans” who are affected by the flooding are coping with this sticky situation. I must say, I could not imagine the suffering and the agony in their hearts while they look at their houses submerged by water. They must have been filled with a heavy heart as they saw their belongings drenched in the flood. That must have been very heartbreaking for them to finally decide to let go of the things they had worked hard to obtain and choose to save themselves. To some, they sure can replace these things after, but for others this seems quite impossible.

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It is with much hope that through these words, we get to realize again the power of helping one another, the power of generosity and compassion. We are lucky enough to have been sitting on our favorite couch while sipping our best-loved coffee as we watch a Netflix movie. We are fortunate that we are warm and dry at this very moment as we sleep on our bed. However, our “kababayans” need us the most.

If we can do something to help them, be it through big or small ways that we possibly can, go ahead and spread kindness. Our world needs healing, and so do our “kababayans”. The world is already saddled with bad events here and there to waste our time and miss out on the opportunities to help one another.

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Let us start planting seeds of generosity during these times of adversity. It is about time that we think of our power to spread kindness towards other people.

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Beneath the waters are hearts filled with agony, shouting for help. Beneath the waters are plans, dreams, and goals snatched by this catastrophe right this instant. Beneath the waters are different stories of hope.

Why don’t we give them a glimmer of hope they can cling to?

“Disclaimer: The photos used in this post do not belong to me. Credits to the owners.”