I sometimes, well, really quite often, complain about the rain. In fact, it does seem that we have more than our fair share of precipitation. Paths get very muddy but on the whole we don’t suffer any dire consequences. We aren’t even in a place that tends to flood so on the whole we are pretty lucky.
In the Philippines they also have a lot of rain. Because of the mountainous terrain landslides are frequent. Widespread deforestation from mining, slash and burn farming and illegal logging all contribute to the problem. On Tuesday on the island of Mindanao a landslide occurred destroying houses and engulfing three buses and a jeepney waiting to pick up workers from a goldmine. On Friday the death toll was up to 27. People were missing. Time was running out. Then 60 hours after the landslide they found a three year old girl alive, giving them hope that more of the missing might still be alive under the mud. One small girl, apparently unhurt, as a symbol of hope.
Meanwhile, in Gaza they have found the body of six-year-old Hind, the little girl who was trapped in a car surrounded by dead members of her family, killed in an attack by the IDF. It’s twelve days since the attack took place. Her cries for help on her cousin’s mobile phone were heard and acted upon but the Palestinian Red Crescent medics were prevented from reaching her and also lost their lives. They had been prevented from reaching the frightened little girl.
Who with an ounce of humanity and knowing that a small girl is pleading for someone to come and get her can not only ignore her cries but stop others from helping her?
My daughter reported overhearing her four-year-old son this morning say to his seven-year-old sister, “Guess what, magic is real”. Later she posted a video of the two children staging their own dragon dance show with small puppets, making their own celebration of Chinese New Year.
That’s what childhood should be about.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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