By Nora Vasconcelos
Although, I work with words everyday, it still surprises me how amazing words are. Even though in some ocations they fall short to express the immensity of a feeling or a emotion such as love or gratitude, in many others, words as simple as “thank you” can mark someone’s life for ever.
Words also give us the chance to express our ideas and concerns, and also allow us to give voice to other people, specially when they face a difficult situations.
The news feature that brought all these ideas into my head was one that told the story of a man and a little girl. The reporter traveled to Tacloban, in the Philippines, to see how people were doing six months after typhoon Haiyan destroyed most of this fishing village on the island of Panay.
The man saw his whole family disappear into the ocean. While hearing his childrean call him for help, the only thing he was able to do was to grasp a 5 year old girl, whose family had also been swallowed by the sea. Now, the only thing they have is each other… and their constant pain.
So, while the reporter could do little to fix the damages that still hurt these people, at least he had the chance to give voice to them and other residents of this village, who despite their personal tragedies, they keep on trying everyday, trying to rebuilt their town, their jobs, and mainly, their lives.
One way or another, words found their way to help all of them, even if just a little. And some times this is the only thing that we have: words, words to return some serenity, trust and hope to people who have lost everything.
