Ondoy's aftermath

The devastation left by typhoon Ondoy really made me sad. We Filipinos are used to disasters but this one is just heart wrenching. Probably because this time it's "indestructible" Manila that's affected. Seeing the Makati underpasses we used to walk on to get home overflowing with water is painful. There was a lot of damage and a lot of people displaced. 

We're lucky our families and homes are safe but we feel for everyone who stayed on their roofs and watched as their belongings get washed away and their homes, drenched; our sympathies are with those who lost their loved ones. This is a terrible disaster but like many others before it, it has left us with many valuable lessons--not only on government and preparedness, but in life. 

It's in times like this that life's truths shine through: 

-Things are just, things. People are more important. 

-Tragedies are great equalizers. Mother Nature doesn't discriminate among races and social classes. 

-Disasters bring out the best in people and the worst too.

-Life is short. It can be gone any second so we should focus on the things that really, really matter.

May God bless us all.