A lot to be thankful for

by Fatmah

The year of the monkey, 2004, has ended and it is a fact that the country went through a lot of difficulties that year. We had more than our fair share of natural as well as man-made disasters, our economy is going nowhere, and for some of us, personal troubles weighed more than all the calamities combined, but thank God Almighty, we are still here. There were so many events the country went through and survived. I am sure these were all made possible because of His loving Grace. I would like you to remember some of these moments so that you would realize that the Philippines and its people are truly blessed.

We had elections last year. We chose our president as well as our local officials. During the campaign period, as expected, there were padded voter's lists, vote buying, killings, and intimidations. These, sadly, characterize all elections here in the country. However, the Philippine National Police has recorded lesser incidents of violence during that period and it was considered by most as more peaceful and orderly than previous ones. After the winners were proclaimed, everything calmed down. No coup d'etat happened even when a former general who ran for president lost. There was no People Power IV either when the perceived pro-poor candidate was defeated. Although he filed an election protest, it didn't prosper as he died suddenly. The whole nation was one in praying for the elections to be peaceful and thankfully, Heaven listened. Despite the many personalities that ran for the presidency, I'd like to think we were given the right one, even if some would disagree and argue that there was somebody else more caring, more honest, and pro-masa who would have won had he not been cheated by the lady sitting now in Malacañang.

There were a lot of Filipinos kidnapped in war-torn countries last year. Again, with prayers we were able to get back alive Angelo de la Cruz and Angelito Nayan. Still, a lot more of our OFWs were abused, maltreated, dying or getting killed everyday in other countries. We will continue to pray for them.

Our peso took a beating and breached the 56-pesos to the dollar mark in 2004. That means the buying power of our currency is becoming lesser. Add to that the increase in oil prices globally which resulted in higher commodity prices locally. People are saying that during Cory's time, the poor can still buy "galunggong" for their table. Now, during Gloria's time, most can barely afford it anymore. "Balingon", "ginamos" and "asin" are what some of us are eating but hey, people here can still eat at least once a day. Of course that doesn't mean that we will be contented already or that the Father wants only this for us, but if we look at the homeless and starving people in Sudan and Ethiopia, we can see that we have a lot to be thankful for.

We had several typhoons last year. I stopped counting already after the 20 th one. The typhoons resulted to several billions of pesos worth of property damaged as well as countless of lives lost. The government even said that after numerous disasters experienced by the country, the relief funds of the DSWD became empty and could hardly give relief goods to Quezon province, the last area hit by a strong storm. Thankfully, the bayanihan spirit of Filipinos moved into action. People donated their time, money, clothing and food. Companies did away with their Christmas parties and instead donated to the typhoon victims. Friends from abroad called to ask why people here, whom they saw in CNN, could still afford to smile even if they lost everything. Filipinos are really a resilient lot. In spite of the many hardships that came our way, we can still get back on our feet with the help of others. It has been proven time and again that despite our differences, when disaster strikes, it is also us Filipinos helping each other. We are survivors. We are blessed that way. Just recently, we should be thankful the country was spared from the strongest earthquake experienced in 40 years and the tsunami that followed which devastated many other countries in South and East Asia .

On a personal note, I am thankful to God for the year 2004. I returned to the country in January 2004 just in time to be with my grandmother who later died 6 days after I arrived. I had problems with my visa and it was by a miracle that I was able to come home as soon as I did. God later saw me through my grief and comforted me just when I thought I couldn't handle it. I also thank Him for giving me the chance to be able to write my little thoughts on TNT hoping that by doing so I am entertaining people somehow. He helped me passed the needed exams that opened new doors for me career-wise. I thank Him for my family who are all healthy, and for friends that never left us. I may have lost contact with some but He has sent new ones too, which have enriched my life more. I don't know about you but I am excited to see what year 2005 has in store for us. Just remember and hold on to the promise made by our Heavenly Father. He said, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That is more than enough to give you strength, my friend.

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