Last Friday, while the typhoon was devastating a part of our country, my friends and I were out at a dinner party. On the drive back home, the rain had stopped, the roads were covered with leaves and tree branches, and some houses didn’t have lights on. Sometimes I forget how blessed we are, that the worst we can possibly experience is not having electricity or water.

There were times over the weekend that I actually wondered if the typhoon was as bad as people were saying it would be. I’d scroll past photos and videos of the aftermath of the storm but wouldn’t realize the gravity of it. I’m not sure though what made me change my attitude about the storm, but finally and thankfully I snapped out of my delusion.

Today I woke up in a cold sweat and food poisoning (that’s what I get for constantly cheating my diet I guess). But I offer up my own personal suffering for the victims of the storm, to those who’ve lost their lives, to those who’ve lost their loved ones, to those who need the prayers the most. A complaint on my part does no one any good, but I know that even the simplest of prayers and sacrifices can make a difference for someone else’s life.