30 Days of Gratitude: Day 22
SugarBabe Lex is thankful for the kindness of strangers.
By now, the whole world has seen the utter destruction of Typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) in the Visayas region of the Philippines. Because of being buried in a major work project, the magnitude of the storm flew past me, until I started getting emails and messages from friends overseas asking how I was. Manila got a little rain and some crazy wind, but nothing life-altering.
It turns out that the storm was so strong, it virtually erased any proof of humanity living on some islands. It was so strong it destroyed airports and rendered communication blackouts. It was so strong that local government units, tasked to be a disaster zone’s first responders, were wiped out.
The whole week last week, I’ve alternated between handling my work assignments, donating and helping when I could, and then hopping on social media to share and inform when I could. And inevitably, what would cause me to break down would be news of all the foreign aid we were getting.
(Source)
I don’t mean the money, although I am also very grateful for it. I mean the various medical personnel, the relief operation experts, the soldiers, military officers, and others who stepped foot on Tacloban’s—and other similar areas’—soil. I mean the buses, trucks, boats, planes, and even a freaking aircraft carrier that are now docked in my country. I mean seeing photos of my fellow Filipinos being treated by doctors from India, Japan, etc. I mean seeing a photo of an American soldier step off a plane in Cebu carrying a sleeping Filipino baby. I mean reading accounts of friends in Manila who have been volunteering in one of the area’s military bases, where large numbers of refugees fly in from Cebu. I read through, watch, or hear of these things and cry in gratitude. Because these are people who have their own loved ones back in their home countries. These are people who may or may not know firsthand what it’s like to live through the same devastation, but are here anyway. These are people who right now are likely not getting enough rest or food themselves, but they are committed to helping my countrymen, with whom they may share nothing but simply being also fellow human beings.
For all of that, I am so, so thankful. I know that with time, we’ll be able to rebuild. With time, the effects of Typhoon Yolanda will fade. But what I won’t ever forget is how quickly the world responded to help us—how strangers helped us through this. 🙂
