Reclaiming January

I spoke too soon....I think.  January 2011 started on a very positive note...and then...uh,oh...

First, how could so many people I know or know of die in one week's time?  There was the mother of a fellow doctor and a staff nurse, all within 24 hours of each other...then 2 of our neighbors just dropped dead, also in a span of 1 or 2 days from each other!  And before I could even give my respects, last 01-11-2011...it rained! It rained so much from evening until the next day, that it caused flooding all over the city (as well as 3 other neighboring cities and one town), causing mass evacuation of people in several barangays, stranded passengers in stalled vehicles and trapped employees who could not get out of their work place because of the rising flood waters. You can see people getting off buses and walking home in knee high waters...my son walked for about 2 and a half kilometer in the dark (there was a blackout to avoid electrical accidents) in order to get home. My nephew together with 2 vans of students had to seek shelter in the municipal hall of a neighboring town because they cannot enter the city.  About 20 students also sought refuge in the hospital. The roads became passable at about 9 PM and my nephew got home almost 11 PM.  My own house was not spared.  Water covered our front lawn and entered part of our sun room. My brother's house got an even worse deal...with water entering his whole house reaching up to mid-calf. Power returned at about midnight. Thankfully, there were no casualties in our city and evacuation was quick. The last time this happened was in the year 2000...January 14th to be exact...the city was totally unprepared and the damage was horrendous.  This time around, the damage was limited to a few roads and property. What was amazing about the whole experience was that the next morning, the sun was out and there was even a beautiful rainbow! It was as if the day before never happened.  

And to add to January's woes...my 70 year old uncle fell off  the roof of a 3- story house while setting up a TV satellite.  Of course, I thought the worst but, this is one lucky guy because all he got were fractured arms, small lacerations in his knee and nose, and some abrasions.  I did not know whether I should be sorry for him or laugh, so instead I got angry with him. Wasn't he thinking??? Oh well.

There are still a little more than 2 weeks left to January.  Starting tomorrow, it's only going to get better...I know.