TYPHOON PABLO... the unexpected visitor

He was Serious Typhoon was just a word until it has proven its meaning. It was an ordinary Monday—the weather was gloomy but nobody thought of it as a warning of any calamity. Yes, people were warned; classes were even suspended. It was funny to think though that the suspension of classes did not convince the people to be prepared instead it was like an early Christmas gift for everybody, that would enable them to rest, play and go around the town. Little did we realize that we would stumble on the old cliché “Too much happiness has a corresponding extreme sadness”. It was Monday night and it suddenly rained. People thought of it as just the normal rain, like any other rainy days. People walking along the streets are still visible, of course with their umbrellas on. It was on the dawn of Tuesday, December 4, 2012, when everyone else felt that something wrong was going on. It was then that I, personally, realized thatTyphoon Pablo was real and was really worst. The wind struck the roofs of the houses like a drunk husband attacking his wife and the other man while catching them both in the bed supposedly shared only by the couple. It was so strong that it threatened everybody. I could hear the wind roaring. It seemed like having a voice of its own, telling everybody how angry and hungry he was. It was still dawn and dark. I was just inside my room, received text messages from friends asking everybody to pray for our safety. I was inside my room wondering what was actually happening outside without knowing that so many people were already leaving their houses, walking in the middle of nowhere in a hopeful search of a safe refuge. I couldn’t imagine how they manage to walk while it was possible for them to be hit by any “flying objects”, or worse, by the trees that were already cut by Pablo’s bare hands. It’s indeed true, one would never consider possibilities like that when one is thinking to survive. At 4:00 in the morning, I have received text messages from friends informing me that they lost their houses; some just lost their roofs. I couldn’t imagine not until the morning came---when things were already visible. I could hardly believe my eyes. All of the houses in my neighborhood were damaged; some partially while majority was totally wrecked. The fruit trees surrounding our house left only a little trace of their existence. The people were seemingly busy but actually, what they were doing was just staring at their houses, trying to figure out how to rebuild their “comfort zones” but didn’t know how and where to start. Looking through the entire place, I could see sadness. It was still raining and yes, it was really raining emotions of different kinds--- fear, disappointment, regrets, sadness but gratefulness was also counted. There were so many “what might have beens” and “what ifs”. For so many, it was too late, but for some, there was still time. What we have just seen in the television has just happened to us. Now I know how it really feels like. Pablo did not only eat the products and the houses but he has proven himself a carnivore—so many lives were lost, so many dreams were not achieved and so many people mourned over lost lives. When I have totally absorbed the situation, I came to realize that the world had stopped turning. People seemed to just stay where they were, looking blankly at the devastations, looking painfully at what used to be. The place was dead at the moment… I was wondering how would it get back to life. How we wish it had never occurred, life might still be the same. However we couldn’t change a thing, we just had to accept it. I have read Paulo Coelho's “The Fifth Mountain” and some lines were very substantial. “ We cannot avoid the unavoidable. Yet these are only temporary. What is permanent is the learning that we got from there.” It’s true. We don’t have the control over everything. But, everything happens for a purpose. And not moment though, not everybody could filter the reason and the l earning because the pain it cause the people was very overwhelming. Pablo was not joking, he was dead serious. Super typhoon Pablo was an unexpected visitor. He brought something for us to be served on the table--- positivity, courage, and hope. His visit was surprisingly painful but it strengthens people’s faith in God. It was more than an experience, it was really life-changing. Life goes on. Life is still wonderful. We still have so many reasons to praise God. We are alive. Hooray!