The bigger picture

What happened over the weekend was an experience I hope never to repeat in my lifetime, but one that I’ll treasure and value til the day I die.

I was supposed to go to Bangkok last Sunday, Sept 27, and stay there til the 30th. I had been looking forward to the trip for weeks – it was practically the only thing that kept my spirits up through all the work-related stress and depression from personal problems.

A week before my departure, I was informed that my new passport would not be released on schedule as there were some additional requirements for renewal because of the new machine readable passports. I was so mad when I heard the news, I argued with them for hours, to no avail. So in the end, I was forced to let it go.

I consoled myself with the thought that at least I hadn’t booked my hotel and tours yet, so I only lost the airfare, which was on promo. My problem was that I had already filed my leave and I was facing 3 empty days at home. I bugged my friends to go on a local trip with me – anywhere! Unfortunately, they had all run out of leave credits, so I was doomed to stay in Manila during my vacation days.

Then Typhoon Ondoy struck on Sept 26, Saturday. I was in an event in Ortigas then, and so I got stranded on the road. My mom called me around 5pm and told me the flood was waist-high inside the house already and is still rising fast, and they were thinking of moving to our neighbor’s house which has a 2nd floor. That was the last time we were able to talk. I couldn't reach them anymore after that.

I spent the next 36 hrs on the road worrying about them, which wasn't helped by the news we saw while on the bus, showing families on the roof of their houses and kids dying after being soaked the whole night. My 85-yr old grandmother lived with us, as well as a 4-yr old niece and a barely 1-yr old nephew.

I was finally able to go home at around 2am on Monday morning. The flood was still knee deep in our village, but it was passable. Where the flood has receded, 3-5 inches of mud took it’s place. 

It was a tricky trek to our house, but it was worth it. When I got there and I saw them all, tired and hungry, BUT alive and well, the relief made me weak. I realized that it was only adrenalin and fear for my family that was keeping me going. So I only felt the fatigue after seeing they were all safe.

It was a big wake up call for me to never take things for granted and to always look at the bigger picture in life. Things happen for a reason – we may not realize it or appreciate it at the time, but eventually, we will see the purpose behind it all.

Looking back, Im now very thankful for what happened to my passport. Had I been stranded in Bangkok when all this happened, I would have probably gone out of my mind from worry about my family. Or if I wasn't able to leave cause of the weather, I would have paid for my hotel, tours, etc by then, so I would have lost a lot more than just my airfare.

I know a lot of people got hurt from this disaster. A lot of people lost their homes, their possessions, and worst, their loved ones. I feel sorry for them, and we include them in our prayers.

But a selfish part of me is happy. Im still a lucky girl. My family’s safe. Nobody I know got hurt. Someone, somewhere, is watching over me...