It’s a time of grief for our countrymen who are suffering from the damage brought about by “Sendong.” It’s a time of angst for us who fear that the worst of these changing climes is still to come.
It’s a time of uncertainty for many Filipinos who depend on their working kin abroad as the global economic strife continues to linger. It’s a time of brooding when the cost of food, fuel, water, and shelter continues to rise beyond what is earned.
It worries me how many friends – and even family members – have lost their lives to dreaded illnesses, too early, too soon. Their families grieve and console themselves with memories, and yet the emptiness left cannot be easily erased.
Soon, it will be Christmas Day. As the pall of gloom continues to weigh down our spirits, I believe that we will find the largesse of heart to celebrate this tradition without the worries that today’s many crises bring – even just for a short moment as we hear the midnight Christmas mass with our family and sit at table with them for Noche Buena.
I do not wish to burden you today with the many concerns and issues that plague our nation; nor do I want to add any more unhappy thoughts and feelings with the forthcoming festivities on us in a couple of days.
Instead, I would like to share with you my heartfelt gratitude for being there through the years that I have been writing this column.
Today, more so in the next few days, let us lighten our load by spreading the Christmas cheers. A greeting. Remembering good times. Smiles and hugs. I’m sure there are many more gestures that will lift our spirits and remind us that there is so much that we should be grateful for.
In Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, where “Sendong” struck hardest, more than cartons and bags of relief goods that are pouring in, brave men and women with compassion and concern are working hard to bring food to those who have been victimized by the storm.
Even here in Metro Manila, thousands of miles away from the affected areas, volunteer armies have set aside time and effort to help in any way those left without homes, clothing, livelihood, food, and even family members and relatives.
For any pain, for any tear, it’s comforting to realize that there will be someone who will care.
With this, I wish you all the cheeriest of Christmas greetings, the biggest cache of happy memories, and the warmest embrace and biggest hug. May our Lord always keep us in his strong hold, never to waver in the face of adversity and hardships, always to keep believing in what is good and just.
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