My Mother Who’d Escaped the, Great, Flood

The kindness of society, show to the locals who live in the regions of the flood that caused their homes to get, completely, destroyed, which made the rebuilding and recovery from the hits of the disasters, easier to, handle…translated…

On this very day, my husband and I took turns driving, we ran, straight to the Guanfu Region that’s hit by the floods, heading home to visit my family was originally what I’d looked forward to the, most, but now, it’d become, the most, difficult.

how the help had, poured into the region…photo from online

Early in the morn American Western Standard Time, I’d found hundreds of threads of discussions in my group of middle school classmates, then I saw the YouTube videos that thrilled me—the streets became, rivers, with the properties, soaked in the, muddy, waters.  “Are my families okay?  Especially my elderly mother who’s already, eighty-eight!”, I sent a worried message to my younger, brother, no response, my worries and fears flooded me over, wave after wave, taking me, down, although I’d tried really hard, telling my self to remain calm, but my mind’s, a total, mess then.  I was usually the tough one, but at this moment in time, I’d, broken down to tears, feared, that there may be the bad news that came the very next, second, and what I’d feared more was, there’s, no, news at, all.

September in San Francisco is fill with sunshine and, fog, everything is beautiful here to, perfection, but my heart’s, already, flow across half a planet, to my hometown that’s, hit by the floods.

“Mom, are you okay, grandma will be fine, I know it!”, my daughter said to me, tried to, comfort, me, while my husband had his eyes, glued on the online footages, I was so afraid, that my rational side might get swallowed whole by the footages of the rolling, flood, I can only wait in silence, put up with this, silent, torture.  Then suddenly, my husband yelled out at me, “it’s the youngest!  He’s, talking to the news reporters!” and, it was my youngest brother who was, being, interviewed by the press, although it was only a few short second’s time, it’d, settled me, down.  Not long thereafter, my younger brother sent the good news to me, as I’d learned my mother was all right, that weightiness had, lifted, I’d stopped feeling, so, anxious then.

As I returned to Taiwan, my drive to go home took over my jetlag, both of us, we knew, at the biggest mission that we have on this trip, is to get my mother to Kaohsiung to stay, so my younger brothers can, clean up their, homes, without any, extra, worries.

with the donations from the companies…

Junk, large pieces of furniture, appliances, overflowed the local, streets, with the mixtures of rusted iron, and mud in the air.  And all we see were the supermen in shovels, using their passions, instilling the love, and hope, back into this, flood ravaged, place, suddenly, that mixture of aching, gratitude, and confusing all surfaced into my, heart.

I worried over how I may see my mother’s eyes, filled with the unspoken loss, after all, that was the home she’d lived in, her whole, life.  And yet, what fell before my sight, stunned me, being injured in the spinal columns, she lay there silent on the bed, with the bills from the red envelopes, she was, counting up.  Or maybe, it was because of her being elderly, she’d forgotten about the pains, the trials of the disasters, the stacks of bills gave her the sense of security she was in need, of, this kindness, care, concern and goodwill that came from all around, made me feel, gratitude!

“Stop worrying!”, the optimistic voice of my mother resonated, I’m sure, it’s not just the understanding and acceptance of life, that’s brought her to this, highest, state of, mind possible, this was also, the show of gratitude of how, the kindness from outside had, caught, her, gently.

And so, this is how much the assistance from all around had, help lightened up the load, in major disasters, and although the homes are still being rebuild from this last major disaster, but the kindness that came from the society, would be enough, to help those who were hit the hardest, who lived in the regions that got destroyed by the overflowing of the dam, get through the hardest time of their, lives.