Somehow, We Keep Marching On...

 ...Every angel needs her wings...

For those days we felt like a mistake,
Those times when loves what you hate,
Somehow,
We keep marching on.
For those nights when I couldn't be there,
I've made it harder to know that you know,
That somehow,
We'll keep moving on.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things were not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,

We're marching on.
For all of the plans we've made,
There isn't a flag I'd wave,
Don't care if we bend,
I'd sink us to swim,
We're marching on,
For those doubts that swirl all around us,
For those lives that tear at the seams,
We know,
We're not what we've seen,
For this dance we'll move with each other.
There ain't no other step than one foot,
Right in front of the other.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,
For all of the plans we've made,
There isn't a flag I'd wave,
Don't care if we bend,
I'd sink us to swim,
We're marching on,
We're marching on.
We'll have the days we break,
And we'll have the scars to prove it,
We'll have the bonds that we save,
But we'll have the heart not to lose it.

For all of the times we've stopped,
For all of the things I'm not.
We put one foot in front of the other,
We move like we ain't got no other,
We go when we go,
We're marching on.
There's so many wars we fought,
There's so many things we're not,
But with what we have,
I promise you that,
We're marching on,

We're marching on...

 - Marching On, One Republic

 

I once read in one of my spiritual reflections books this wonderful passage, "Why indeed must 'God' be a noun? Why not a verb?...the most active and dynamic of ALL." It made a lot of sense to me because in moments of despair, most of which most of my countrymen I am sure are enduring right now, God as a concept is not an entity but rather something you see through the kind actions and deeds of people around you. You see, I am sure that right now, some of us are having a difficulty with the concept of God because we have seen God evolve into someone who is static, a mega-controller, and frankly, someone who is not that nice to be around. Traditionally, we have tried to make God static so we would feel safe. That, I believe, is our problem and NOT God's. 

What if we begin to understand that we must see God as a process--- a process of the universe? What if we also begin to understand that we are a part of that same process? What if we realize that it is only when we live who we are that we have the option to be one with that process? Trying to be someone else and denying other people our real selves- the genuinely good person I believe exists in every human person- ruptures with that process. The truth is, ultimately, if God is in the actions we see around us and more so, in the good deeds we do and show others... we all have something in common with which to begin...

 

What have you done today to show the presence of God? 

 

In light of this, I would like to URGE everyone to please help out- no action or donation is too small or too minor- our country has gone through a very devastating experience...let us remind people affected by the damage that God is there through our good deeds and acts of mercy. I have come to see the good in people in so many heart warming stories today...and because of this, I have not lost heart... the capacity of the human spirit to prevail, of goodness to shine through in such a tragedy, is astounding. This goes out to all my readers... your help will be very much appreciated.

 To everyone who is actively participating in packing relief goods to be sent to the EXTREMELY DEVASTATED areas like LEYTE and such, please note the following:

1.) DO NOT PACK NOODLES, RICE OR ANYTHING THAT NEEDS WATER. There is no water and electricity so it is impossible to cook this kind of food. Stick to bread, canned goods that are ready-to-eat and can be opened WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A CAN OPENER.

2.) PACK MEDICINE - most especially basic medicine (biogesic, bioflu, robitussin etc). Also if possible, include medicine for surface wounds as many have been wounded because of the debris and fallen rooftops.

3.) PACK AT LEAST ONE BOTTLE OF WATER. People are raging for water (some have even become violent just for water). There is no source of water at all in any part of Tacloban.

4.) PACK CANDLES AND MATCHES - there will be no electricity for a minimum of two months so all people will need these.

5.) ENCOURAGE YOUR RESPECTIVE GROUP/ORGANIZATION TO DONATE BODYBAGS. Bodies are lying around the roads within the city and some of the places have already been filled up with bodies.

 Where I am from...everyone is a hero.

...We keep marching on....

 Thank you for taking the time to read this PSA Blog Entry. 

xx, JL