Devastating news everywhere. I learned just this morning that another Malaysian Airlines airplane went down somewhere over the Ukraine. There is speculation that it has been shot down by rebel forces, killing all 200+ passengers onboard including 3 Filipinos – a mother and her 2 kids.
This happens barely 4 months after another Malaysian Airlines plane went missing over the Pacific and still nothing is heard of the passengers, making every waking moment unbearable for their families, I imagine.
And a strong typhoon hit the country again, a big one for Metro Manila just two days ago, leaving a lot of casualties and thousands homeless. We lost power until yesterday and are still experiencing fluctuating electricity. We are more afraid of typhoons now because of the devastation brought about by Typhoon Haiyan that left the Visayas struggling to bounce back even until now.
And there is the seemingly incessant random killings of teens by teens in the US, using guns and knives that seem to be freely available to them.
Somewhere else in the world, there is war and hunger.
Are we becoming used to hearing about these? Is tragedy the new normal?
Not to me. Everyday I become more and more afraid, more so because of the never-ending issues with our local government. Yet despite all the negativity that seem to arise everywhere I look, hope springs. The other day I was clearing our garden of debris from the storm even before it left the country. I saw something fly towards me and I bolted into the house thinking that it was a bee. I came back out a minute later, didn’t see a bee, but noticed a butterfly sitting quietly among the shrubs where I was standing.
I felt at peace the moment I saw it and immediately felt safe, as if my Dad was around to visit me. The butterfly did not move even as the rain started to pour again. It stayed there with me, as if willing me to stand still with it. As if it was telling me not to be afraid. That something beautiful always happens after the storm clears.
