Serenity

It seems rather foolish and selfish for me to mop and fuss over a cancelled vacation when there is too much devastation and misery in the Visayas Region after super typhoon Yolanda struck last November 8, 2013.

But yes I am still totally bummed over it especially when our renewed passports were delivered the day after the storm struck. In fact I had forgotten about it when the messenger knocked at the gate. 

D and I have also been quite sick this past week. There isn't much to do but stay in bed coughing and sniffing (from the colds) as we watch all the coverage of the media networks of the deluge that claimed so much lives and caused so much destruction.  It is beyond belief yet there it is as clear as day flashing across the TV screen on a daily basis. 

Whole towns wiped out, dead bodies scattered all over amidst the tons of debris that is lining up the streets.  One cannot really make much sense of what unfolded in such a vast region.  It is depressing, heartbreaking and it puts many things into a broader perspective.

We are sad, we are torn and then we are angry at how little the national as well as the local government units seem to be doing to alleviate the miserable and deplorable situation of the survivors.  You get on social media and you are bombarded with all these links, comments and photos of the suffering going on in these parts of the nation and your heart breaks more and more.  

Of course, we are all eternally grateful for the amount of donation and assistance that is flooding our shores both from local and international sources.  We are all overwhelmed with the enormity of the disaster as well as the logistical operations involved into putting some sense of normalcy in the lives of those affected.  Yet our hearts also warm up to the generosity and kindness of individuals as well as organizations/ foundations that are willing to help in any way they can.

I end this post by typing the Serenity Prayer which I believe seems appropriate in times of crisis.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
 

Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
 

Amen.