It has been more than three years since Ketsana swept the Philippines. I remember when my husband and I went to hear mass two weeks after experiencing Ketsana’s wrath. However, I was amazed with the priest’s acknowledgement of Ketsana’s rage. I did hear the ails, sufferings, and tear-shedding stories from people who were badly affected by the typhoon. But for that morning, I heard someone thanked Ketsana for visiting the country. He specifically named three reasons why he thanked Ketsana for coming over. First was for acknowledging blessings received despite the bad weather and still hoping to see sunshine after the rains. Blessings like generosity aside from giving and receiving relief goods and seeing through people’s good intentions during times of disasters. My friend shared how terrified she truly was during the flash flood as she and her boyfriend stuck together and remained having their senses backed up with faith. She also shared how depressing it was for her to see four to six people sharing one piece of cracker to fill in their tummies after thirty six hours of waiting for the flood to subside. Second reason he mentioned was knowing that people cannot live alone and it comes out naturally and was obviously seen among people helping out in saving each other from getting drowned. And last but not the least, Ketsana provided everyone with an individual learning not only on how to prepare but as well as on how to prevent unavoidable disasters to happen.

As he wrapped up his sermon, it really gave me a realization I will not forget and a thinking if I will share this realization in the office. I am not sure if people who will hear me share it would accept it in the way I accepted it or just simply pay no attention and still remain in the depressing mode they are in to. However, I still gave it a shot and I was never wrong that not all will accept it the way I did. I just thought that they are still in the verge of recovering on everything they have lost during the typhoon. I placed my understanding that it is never quick to recover on such losses, especially if you have worked hard for it or it was a person so special for them. I just turned myself silent on things, which only them would understand. I guess only time can heal things, wounds, and hurt for that matter.

As for me and my husband, both of us were thankful the night I got home safely though drenched and smelly. The same thing for my son who got home at night. We both felt relieved seeing all our kids safe at home without any single and simple damage. With that alone, we both know we were one of the luckiest people who would also thank Ketsana for letting us realize things in a different and unexpected picture.