Whispering Hope amidst Crisis

Chef Ed Dychauco, RN

Soft as the voice of an Angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word.
Wait, till the darkness is over,
Wait, till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow
After the shower is gone.

Whispering hope, whispering hope
Oh, how welcome, welcome thy voice,
Making my heart
In its sorrow rejoice.

Such a beautiful song, with such meaningful lyrics but is almost forgotten because of the newer yuletide songs. Nevertheless, I would consider this as a timely tune for us to reflect today.

Just in time for the season. This should be the best time of the year. Because it is Christmas time. It is the time to share, to care and to love.

It is extremely hard for us to celebrate because of the catastrophic & unfortunate incident that occurred on the eve of December 16 to the morning of December 17. And this will always be remembered.

Typhoon Sendong arrived and left as fast as it came. Strong winds and flash floods became imminent and without warning, destroyed thousands of homes, left hundreds of thousands of families homeless, killed scores of animals, uprooted several trees and took a thousand human lives (as of this writing). And I am sure there are still a lot unaccounted for.

Initial question that would come into our mind would be: why? Why us?

We have just started to rebuild our homes after the heartbreaking January 2009 disaster and here comes another much powerful and violent typhoon creating havoc on our lives.

We can pinpoint deforestation as one major effect. And we haven’t been planting enough trees. Maybe it is also because of global climate change. And maybe, other reasons as well. But this is not the time to blame others. We can always work hand in hand to make this a better place. And we can do it in our own little way before it is too late.

I have seen photos and videos of the unfortunate events in magnitude proportions and the more I see them, the more I feel awful. This is reality. This is what is happening around us. Right now.

For those who have lost their homes and properties, it can be so hard to start anew. But for those who lost their loved ones, words cannot express one’s feelings. It is just beyond description!

As a psychiatric nurse, I believe that we should offer not only physical, physiological, and financial help per se but as well as emotional & psychological counseling & help to the poor victims. And this should be done as soon as possible. But are we doing this?

According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross & David Kessler, we would all go through this process, the 5 stages of Grief & Grieving which are as follows: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, & Acceptance. But again, being unique individuals, our coping skills are different.

We should look at the silver lining. After the rain, comes the sun. A new beginning. A new ray of hope.  And let us cling to that hope. This might not be so easy, but we are resilient. And that is one outstanding characteristic of Pinoys that we are proud of.

In times of calamities & disasters, I have seen people smiling despite their hardships. We cry, we ask for help. And with extended families & friends around, it does make our lives a lot easier to cope. Plus, our profound religious & spiritual beliefs really make us stronger in handling our adversities in life.

It also brings out the best in us in times of crisis. Call it “Bayanihan” spirit. Aids, donations and assistance are pouring in from all over the world. We are blessed with people who are willing to share, to give, and to support in this untiring endeavor. Christmas parties are cancelled and foods donated. Instead of exchanging gifts, the amounts are donated to the needy.

Let us count our blessings. Everything happens for a reason beyond our comprehension. I know it is enormously hard, but God is good. Let us join hands & unite in this dedicated event and make our fellow Kagay-anons happy, despite of what we are all going through right now.

 For this is the season of love. Let us make the most of what is left in us. Share. Give love on Christmas Day! Let’s bring back “Christ” in our lives.

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