The Calm Before the Storm: Their Pre-Yolanda Christmas Wish.....

         Christmas is just around the corner, as we always say whenever the month of December is fast approaching. The weeks leading to that merry season will see us setting up our Christmas tree and putting on all the trimmings, hanging colorful lanterns outside our homes, wrapping gifts for those people who matter to us, and planning our menu for the holidays (anymore activities?). 

        The most anticipated season of the year is capped by something that is very personal and intangible at the same time, and this is our Christmas wish. Allow me to officially ignite the spirit of the holidays in us by sharing with you the Christmas wish of some very interesting personalities. I have mistakenly asked one who does not celebrate Christmas due to his religion, but his year-ender wish deserves to be included nonetheless.

A Surprise Call :)

I got a surprise call in my office from the guardian of one of our graduates yesterday morning. She asked me first if I still remember his nephew who used to be our Nursing student by mentioning his surname. I immediately told her that yes I do remember him. With the kind of surname that he has, it is impossible not to be able to remember him. No, it is not a bad-sounding one if that is the impression. He also used to be my student before.

YOLANDA/HAINAN DIARIES 2 : Are we united or divided?

At this very crucial period in our country, amidst the suffering of the people in the Visayas region and relief operations being conducted by our administration, private individuals and companies, and foreign governments, we must put a stop to all our bickerings, grandstanding, and blame-passing. 

Such acts will not do us any good. 

This is not the time to overly criticize. Rather, this is the time to be united, and not divided.

With this, let me share with you a very nice message by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas:

  “This is the time to light our small 

candles 

to fight the darkness and gloom.

This is the time to spread inspiration, 

to dig for more hope

and to send off more positive vibes 

in the air.”

 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YOLANDA/HAINAN DIARIES 1 : What is a storm surge?

What is a storm surge?

During the presence of weather disturbances in our PAR or Philippine Area of Responsibility this year, PAGASA officials I believe were never remiss in their task of warning people in would-be affected areas about the possibility of a storm surge, most especially when the weather disturbance or typhoon is strong. However, despite the repeated mentions, it seems that nobody ever paid attention to it, primarily because nobody really tried to explain what a storm surge is.

A Timely Prayer for the Visayas, Prayer for Victims of Typhoon Yolanda

Dear Father, our loving and merciful God,

In faith, we acknowledge your abiding paternal care over us, your children.
In hope, we trust in your divine providence of giving us wisdom,courage, and fortitude  as we face the challenges in life. 
In love, we invoke your help and guidance during these difficult days of death and destruction in various parts of our beloved country.

Ours is a solemn prayer of thanksgiving for Your wise reminder that we live in an imperfect and passing world, that heaven is not on earth. Ours, too, is a sincere prayer of repentance for earnestly seeking you only when we are in need and desperate but conveniently forgetting you when we are comfortable and prosperous; when we allow Your beautiful creation, our environment, to suffer our wrongdoing, our abuse and indifference.

And ours is also a prayer of humble petition as we plead:

Grant eternal peace to those who lost their lives. Embrace the children who died in their innocence. Help those who are hurt and cure those who are sick. Encourage those who suffer in the destruction of their homes and properties, so that despite the difficulty at hand they may once again stand up and rebuild their future.  Bless all those who extend their helping hands to those in need of food, shelter and clothing, who share their time, talents and resources with others. Inspire more people to be men and women for their neighbors, convinced that the more they are for others, the closer they journey with Your Son. We implore that we, our loved ones and our hard earned possessions, be spared from the threat of calamities, natural and man-made. Save us please from other disasters and devastations if this would be according to Your will and for our own spiritual good.

Amen.


(Adapted from the prayer composed by His Grace the Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz and His Excellency Bishop Lucilo Quiambao.)

www.slb.ph/component/content/article/58-a-prayer-for-victims-of-disasters-and-against-calamities