Never hopeless, never alone, yet never united?

There are so many signs all over that the survivors are slowly but surely moving on after the killer typhoon.

An inspiring post showed a survivor busy trying to rebuild his house but he had time to put up a sign that wrote roofless but not hopeless!

Never hopeless, so many of our survivors are clinging on tightly to hope ...and faith.

Tears are still flowing, grief still so acutely felt, the stench of death and the face of destruction still in their midst but quietly, slowly, our survivors are showing us all their determined will to live and move on. They are looking forward, rather than lingering and tarrying in the past.

They are doing so, on their own, with whatever they have left or can gather around them. They are doing so quietly, slowly but surely, they are moving on and would like to move on beyond the storm. What courage, what strength, what faith and hope they are passing on to the rest of us!

Never hopeless and never alone.

The beautiful, continuing outpouring of so much care and concern, many instances of kindness returned and/ or passed forward - we pray all survivors, especially the most needy, will finally be reached soonest and completely.

Our people are there, the young and old alike, rich or poor, gratefully, so many are there for the typhoon victims. Care and concern are also overflowing from all over the world- from governments, from groups, from individuals.

The children, here and abroad, are demonstrating early on that care and concern are ageless and borderless. The essential gems of life and love are shining through, beyond the storm.

Never alone, never hopeless, yet sadly there are those who prefer to look at the post-typhoon scenario as half- empty, rather than half-full. Admittedly, there is so much more to do, most especially for the victims and the survivors. For sure, so much more could have been done for the dead, for the needy victims, days after the typhoons. Definitely, national and local governments and agencies should have done much more effective and exhaustive efforts to ensure order and safety and assistance to as many in all affected areas.

Yes, there were errors, failures and incompetence, corruption, and abuse even, here and there. But can we not move on, united and determined to do better today and tomorrow and more days to come? Can we not allow room for faith and even forgiveness that the sinners and the erring can do better from here on?

Can the critics allow a wider context and perspective for their complaints and remember the experiences of developed nations like Japan and the U.S., how these powerful nations also faltered immediately after the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in terms of their initial relief efforts?

Can those who condemn and complain about all that is wrong in government and persons allow for some space and time and join the present efforts of other Filipinos desiring to move on soonest with their lives and with other Filipinos helping and assisting the survivors proceed with their lives?

Never hopeless, never alone yet never united?

Can all Filipinos also go beyond our experience of never yet uniting as a people, as a nation? Shall we overcome the disasters united or divided as a people, as a nation?

For the sake of those who lost their lives, and for the sake of protecting and better preparing our people vs future disasters, can we allow the present disasters to unite us all now?

So much to be done, so much cleansing, sacrifice , prayer, and offering to share beyond ourselves, for others, for our people, for our nation, for the world.

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