The day before:
Wednesday started with a smile because friends stayed over at my place the night before, I had free lunch, and my website write up was (almost) done. That evening, our MA class was long but interesting, followed by a dinner date with Praise at Kas Foodhouse. I was also anticipating another evening with two adopted humans at my place.
Then came the domino effect:
When we arrived at my place Wednesday evening, I saw a little orange slip tucked under the door. It was a disconnection notice; due to miscommunication, no one had paid for the electric bill that month. Arg. So the adopter (me) ended up being adopted; we had to relocate to Adriatico for the night. Food trip (success), ice cream hunting (fail), coke drinking (success), wine tasting (fail), movie watching (we fell asleep halfway through the 2nd movie) and storytelling galore ensued. We did not even notice that Isang had swept into the Philippines until…
Thursday:
Thursday morning dawned dark and gloomy, with lots of rain and Taft underwater again. All of us ended up having disrupted schedules because of the storm. Ah well, my crankiness at the ruins of my plans went away because of two more movie files, a homecooked lunch, eight hours of sleep, a fantastic view of Manila, winds rushing into the window because of the storm, a free shoulder massage, and the company of two good friends. Thursday night I only had coins left in my purse, no load, an unpaid electric bill, a hurriedly gulped down dinner and was wading in ankle-deep floodwaters on my way to another homeless shelter (another friend’s place in Vito Cruz).
But I wasn’t cranky anymore. Instead, this song kept on playing in my head. Probably because my friend played it over and over and over again while I was at her place. Or probably to remind me that despite unexpected events, long waits, stormy days, delayed salaries, problems big or small, I know that they will be there. He will still be there.
Jesus Will Still be There
(Points of Grace)
Things change, plans fail
You look for love on a grander scale
Storms rise, hopes fade
And you place your bets on another day
When the going gets tough
When the rides too rough
When you’re just not sure enough
(chorus)
Jesus will still be there
His love will never change
Sure as the steady rain
Jesus will still be there
When no one else is true
He’ll still be loving you
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer
Jesus will still be there
Time flies, hearts turn
A little bit wiser from lessons learned
But sometimes, weakness wins
And you lose your foothold once again
When the going gets tough
When the rides too rough
When you’re just not sure enough
(repeat chorus) (2x)
When it looks like you’ve lost it all
And you haven’t got a prayer
Jesus will still be there