It´s a beautiful fall morning, I woke up to a smiling sun greeting me warmly through the windows. A sunny morning usually elevates my mood, makes me jump off my bed full of energy and excited to meet the day, as opposed to those gloomy, sad mornings. But today is different. While the sun is friendly, my heart is sad.
I think of my Filipino people especially those who survived the Yolanda typhoon which hit the Philippines last weekend. They were the contents of my dreams last night. In my dreams I was one of them, scavenging for food and water, desperate for shelter amidst rain and broken homes, and is being reminded that I´m still alive by the overwhelming perfume coming from the fallen´s decaying bodies that litter the street.
I saw a boy who covered his brother´s purple body with plastic, he looked at the sea and uttered, my dad´s in there. Now he´s alone, no home, no food. But he doesn´t cry. Why? Why the boy doesn´t cry? Why I´m the one crying?
I´m crying because while I went to bed so comfortably last Friday night, many Filipino families were being torn apart back home. No amount of photos could tell the actual ordeal these survivors went through, one woman said it´s worst than hell.
But we do know that their current hell isn´t the typhoon or the tsunami-like flood, it isn´t the grief of losing their family members or the burden of the unknown due to missing friends and loved ones, but it´s the survival itself. No food, no water, no home.
While we´re blessed to enjoy the comfort of our homes and savor the delicious flavor of our meals, let us think of the children, the parents, the sick and the wounded in the Philippines who have nothing, literally nothing, left to salvage.
Let´s join hands and help. Let´s support our governments and charities that are generating/initiating help. For every dollar that we give, it pays for a child´s meal.
Maybe it means letting go of a gorgeous $10 scarf you´re looking to complement your new coat? For me it means letting go of this nude tucker boot that I´ve always fancied. But our closet can wait. The people who have been hungry for days can´t.
How can you share your blessings and send help to the Philippines?
You can read for more information on how to donate here and here.
Yes, we can pray for the typhoon victims and survivors. Yes, we can encourage others to help. But the most that we can do is to actually dig in our pockets and give help. God bless you, darlings!
