Leyte.

I can't stop thinking about the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan.  I know that it's the hot news topic of the moment.  I know that most of those around me are donating and concerned.   

There is still such an overwhelming sense of helplessness when I check news updates.  I have huge urges to help, and I'm almost ashamed that the only way I know how help is to donate money.  If I was a doctor or some kind of logistics expert then I could fly over there and contribute face-to-face.

Otherwise I'd just be yet another mouth to feed and yet another body to house, clothe and protect.  

Really though, I should just feel extremely fortunate that I can donate from the comfort and safety of my own home.

But I see the Filipino faces on the news and I can't help but think about my family.  If I was trying to save them and failed ... if I had to search for them amidst the destruction.  It hurts to even begin to fathom it.

I was told that my ancestors on my mother's side came from the province of Leyte (where the completely demolished Tacloban is).  The story is that they migrated down to Mindanao and cleared the land and founded Unidad, where my mom was born and raised.  She grew up by the sea, and slept in a hut and lived off the land.

So yeah, parts of my DNA come from Leyte.  If those ancestors decided to stay put, maybe there'd be a different version of me there somewhere.  Hungry and surrounded by death and destruction.

Maybe this extra connection is an extra contributor to my urges to keep checking for news about this tragic disaster.  And scrolling down to the bottom of the articles and reading the comments.  Over 90% of the comments are heartwarming and filled with empathy and goodwill, but there are those few that I absolutely cannot relate to.  The ones that justify the suffering based on the corruption in the Philippine government.

Guess what morons, it's a freaking Third World country.  What the hell do you think makes it Third World?  We all know that the government could use a lot of work.  But that doesn't mean you have to ignore the thousands who are in dire need.  If anything, this makes them even MORE helpless.   

Have a heart.  Seriously.