Sunday, October 4, 2009

May there be a silver lining, back of every cloud you see...

People of my generation, can probably recall a song popularized by Joni James which said,

"Fill your dreams with sweet tomorrows.

Never mind what might have been.

May the good Lord bless and keep you."

The same song also says, "May there be a silver lining, back of every cloud you see."

One week after Manila got clobbered by typhoon Ketsana, this song, long hidden somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, somehow, rose to my consciousness.

I saw many silver linings back of the dark clouds spawned by Ketsana.

More than a week after the typhoon, Manila still has not recovered. Flood waters are still high in many places. And in those areas where water has subsided, mud and debris are slowly being cleared. Along with this, the painful task of looking for missing relatives.

The situation seems hopeless. But the Filipino "Bayanihan" spirit has once more shown itself. It makes me proud to be a Filipino. People in ravaged communities helped one another. In a few cases, even at the cost of their own lives. One soldier saved several dozens before he, from exhaustion or accident, slid from an embankment into the water and was carried away by the rampaging flood.

I am proud I am a Filipino.