‘We’re not alone in the storm’
Typhoon Carina drenched many parts of Luzon, submerging roads and homes in floodwaters, damaging crops and infrastructure and disrupting livelihoods. Thousands had to seek refuge in evacuation centers. Tens of thousands suffered.
And yet, immediately, I sensed through the news and social media that no one was an island. And that those who were spared (thankfully, Carina did not reach typhoon Ondoy floodwater levels, according to the weather bureau) didn’t want to be mere onlookers. Many tossed life rafts, literally and figuratively, to those in need.
PeopleAsia’s Men Who Matter awards night at the Manila Marriott Hotel took place a day after the storm, and it became a life raft as well for those battered and displaced by the rains and the floods.
The magazine joined hands with the Philippine Star’s “Operation Damayan” to raise funds for the victims of Carina, with the magazine’s publisher (on leave) Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez donating an initial $1,000. It was followed by several more donations.
In addition, “Legacy Awardee” Gary Valenciano offered his support in whatever way he could to Operation Damayan. PAGCOR chairman Al Tengco pledged his family’s support, as did Patrick Chan of the Bellevue group of hotels, who announced that the Bellevue in Alabang would be a drop-off point for relief goods. Chef Sau del Rosario volunteered to cook for the victims, as he said humbly that was what he knew best. Potato Corner’s Joey Alvero promised to work closely with Damayan to help displaced kababayans. All the other awardees supported the drive and shared how their first thoughts and actions were for the people who work with them.
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The storms that inundate us are not only typhoons. In life, we will be lashed by strong winds and gales, and sometimes we will feel like we are in the eye of an emotional tornado.
People suffering from inner storms could be more vulnerable, because no one sees their pain. No one sees the winds buffeting them. No one sees them drowning in rampaging emotions. No one tosses them a life vest because no one sees them gasping for air — the air of support. I know someone who lost a loved one in the pandemic who likened her pain to a drowning person coming up for air, but there was no air.
Typhoon Carina made me think of those silently suffering raging storms within, those who suffer emotional and psychological wounds. Superficially, there are no evident gashes or deep wounds. But their emotional wounds are bleeding inside. I made a mental note to be more sensitive to those who may battling inner typhoons. Like they say in the vernacular, “May pinagdadaanan.”
As Gary said in his song Make Me Whole Again, written at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and which he sang during the Men Who Matter awards night, “We’ve been through the best and worst of times. Season after season. When the winds blew hard. And the sun refused to shine above us.”
The God-fearing Gary V. shared in the song a melodious survival kit for those in the eye or wake of the storm:
But we will sing in the storm
And we will dance in the rain
Though we can’t come close and touch all those
Who now seem so far away
We’re not alone in the storm
And we will pray in the rain
Know our hearts won’t tire
Our faith’s on fire
We know our tears are in the hands of Him
Who can heal us and make us whole again.
When Gary released this song in Easter 2021 as the world faced its most serious crisis since World War II, he wrote: “This song represents the human spirit; that when push comes to shove, it will look for a way to survive. It will choose to focus on that which can help lift the human spirit above the strongest storms, the highest waves, and the most powerful winds. And then through it all, the human spirit realizes that apart from Him, we can do nothing. It’s a song that I pray restores hope that settles in the hearts of everyone at this time; even ’til after we are healed and made whole again.”
US President Joe Biden probably wrestled with an inner monsoon when his mental acuity as Chief Executive for another four years was seriously doubted, and he was urged by influential Democratic party leaders and donors not to seek re-election. It was obviously not an easy decision to make, but it seems Biden has weathered the storm of his personal loss (only three US Presidents who were eligible for re-election reportedly did not seek it, so you understand the gravitas of the post), and emerged stronger.
I also know from reliable sources that after tycoon Manny Villar lost in the presidential elections of 2010, he immediately went back to the drawing board to draft the next moves of his real estate business, rolled up his sleeves and moved on. His vision and hard work have made him now the richest Filipino businessman.
The mother of a dear friend of mine was seriously ill recently, and sometimes, it was touch and go. My friend said every time she asked for prayers, her mother rallied. And rallied. “God listens to our feeble cries,” she says gratefully. Her mother is now back home.
In October 2022, I broke my ankle in two sides. I elected not to have surgery, as one of my doctors advised (the others recommended it). It was just gut feel on my part. My leg was in a cast, then a boot. I had therapy, but it was a slow recovery. I couldn’t wear heels for months, and then only inch-tall pumps. Then last week I was able to wear three-inch heels again, with no pain, no unsteady feeling and I was able to walk comfortably and even remain standing for long. (But three-inch heels would be a rarity in my closet, I swear.)
When I shared the good news to my colleague Büm D. Tenorio Jr. of how I was amazingly able to prance in heels again, he didn’t seem surprised. “There is a God,” he said simply.
Amen. Amen. Broken ankles, broken hearts, broken houses, broken bridges. You will survive if you yourself are not broken. Don’t be.
As Gary sang so plaintively last week, “We are not alone in the storm.”
After every storm, watch out for the rainbows. *
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