Memories came flooding in, seeping out of my memory bank. The earthquake, the storm, death, then calm.
Being born in the Philippines Mother nature rules. Nature does not discriminate, from the young and old, from the poor and rich, from the ordinary to famous folks; we are all affected. One of the saving graces, I now live in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Hardly any storm but plenty of rain and cloudy days.From what I can remember, Father was swept away by the sea, never to be found. Was there a storm at the time that caused ragging waves? I still have yet to know. Mother had a nervous breakdown when Father died. Was it his death or the thought of having to care for 13 children, the youngest four months old. I was only four years old. Most of my memory is vague maybe it was buried with Father in the sea.
Flying debris, the tin roof blown by the mighty wind, trees falling down, roaring of the wind, torrential rain and flooding are the effects of nature passing through.
Then came Ruby Tower crashing down. It was intensity 7.7 in the Richter scale. People rushing out of their homes. Me standing by the canal, the water creating a whirlpool and saw a huge rock emerged from the ground.
We were spared from these disasters except Father.
The Voice of God in a Great Storm A Psalm of David. (Psalm 29) Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,This is a Day of Grace. Related Articles:
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy array. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful,
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf, and Sir′ion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness,
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forests bare;
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
- After the storm
- Day of Grace
- Psalm of sublime grandeur
- The night Manila Rattled and Rolled
- The night Manila Rattled and Rolled
- Casiguran Earthquake intensity 7.7
- Christchurch Earthquake intensity 6.3
- Typhoons in the Philippines
- Huffington Post: Images of Before and After the Typhoon
Reflections 
Oh My Beautiful, Perpetua. I am so sorry for how you lost your father and for the memories to resurface. It’s so incredibly sad for so so many people. I hug you, Paula xxxx
Hi Paula, it’s always sad to lose someone. Please do not be sad. Telling the story is part of healing. xox Perpetua.
This is true. Hugs xxx
I’m so sorry for the way you lost your Dad and for all the losses with the typhoon.
Oh what a beautiful music. I just heard this recently at a funeral. Thank you, Ela.
Terrible times now make us remember, when perhaps forgetting is easier. Still each time we remember, I think we heal a little more. Your father was quite a man to be wrestling a living beside the sea, providing for 14. Your mother, wow. I can’t even imagine. My parents also lived through hard times, and kept going. That’s all any of us can do, persevere. Try to have faith and not go numb. Thanks for sharing, Seeker, we are all better for sharing.
Brenda, we are both lucky to have parents who have gone through hard times, kept going and survived. They are our best teacher and we learned perseverance from them. Numb is not the word, it’s more compassion fatigue every time there is a catastrophe going on in the world. Sharing is always good. Seeker.
Yes, you are right.
My prayers are with the people of the Philippines. I have friends who are waiting, still, to hear from family. My heart aches. We need to truly, not only monetary aid, but to overwhelm these people with our prayers.
Oh dear, I hope your friends have heard from their families. Yes, prayers work miracles. Thank you.
An amazing story Phillipa, so sad. You are quite a survivor and your memories must be quite intense at times like these. BC really is beautiful but SO different than your birthplace – must have been quite something to transition.
Hi Tina. I feel in love with Canada immediately and I know I am home. When Typhoon Katrina hit USofA, it brought back memories too. Perpetua.
Your strength and faith is inspiring.
Hi Don. Thank you for your kind words. By God’s grace, everyone will have the strength.
All this suffered and yet faith endured. You are a blessing to anyone who needs encouragement to continue on when life is difficult.
Patricia, thank you for A Day of Grace. All is Grace.
I’m sorry for such heartache. Your beauty shines through in your faith, your strength. Thank you for sharing with us.
From this experience, Mother gained so much courage and deep abiding faith that she shared with us. You are welcome.
Horrible to learn this of your father, Seeker. This is horrible.
Very human reflections, here. Good post.
Sorry, I did not mean to make you feel this way. All is well now. Thank you.
I’m so sorry about your dad and everything your mom had to endure to raise you all 😦 I pray and pray every day for the safety of everyone in the Philippines, I have friends there and many whom I care deeply about, Wish I could go over there and be a part of the efforts 😦
Thank you, Andy. We overcome the hardship. And yes, we need to pray for your friends and the rest of the Philippines. Your prayers is already helping them.
I hope so..I’d rather be ‘There’ in person helping though 😦
Those acts of nature are terrible and so many lives are lost. All we can do is to help the surviving and show compassion as we cannot stop nature.
Thank you, Ute. That is the best thing to do.