The tragedy that typhoon Frank caused to Ilonggos and Akeanons and many other Filipinos were just horrible. Many have lost their loved ones, their living. For some, they have to start from the scratch. One could hear mixed emotions after the typhoon. Some were blaming the government for procrastinating in implementing the projects that could have lessened, if not prevented, the disastrous flood. Some would feel bad for losing their homes, their blood-and-sweat-founded wealths. Some would just utter disgust for the muds that reminds them of the catastrophe.

Me and my mom were not spare from the typhoon’s mischief. We even live in the city where the flood never skips even with not so much rain–Jaro, Iloilo City. I had to endure sleeping in the house of other people when I could no longer walk home due to the strong pressure that the water is giving me when I was walking home from work. Our apartment was filled with flood until the knees. When the rain stopped on Sunday, I had to walk again, somehow thankful that this time the water is until the waist, I don’t have to walk against the current this time.

I would be a hypocrite if I would say that after what the typhoon has done, we’re okay now. Ther aftershock would be no electricity and no water. However, that’s better than it never stopped at all.

For those who lost their loves and loved ones, I could find no enough words to comfort you. For those who lost their fortunes and their precious possessions, I do not know how many years would it take you to regain what you’ve lost, or will you ever be able regain it?

However, during these times, we should not look for people to blame on what happened. Not the government, not our neighbors, not even God. We could perhaps blame–ourselves. Blame ourselves for not taking good care of our environment just in time. For not throwing our garbage in the proper places, for not planting trees, for not bothering to know what the nature needs. We couldn’t have prevented it, yet we could have lessened the effects of it.

Oh, it wouldn’t help to blame God for this. We our responsible for this. Somehow we should be grateful that He has spared our lives. That we could make a change–change of ourselves after what happened. Somehow we should be grateful that even if water and food is in scarcity, we still have some to eat and drink.

I don’t think we need to experience disasters to  remember Him. For everyday of our lives, we need to remember the One who gave lives to us. Everyday is a gift from Him. Just as a cliche goes, “everything happens for a reason”. May it a be a result of our own actions, or others, there’s still a rainbow after the rain.