Silent Prayers

 Hey, it's Paddy's Day! How are you to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day? For the Irish or those whose got the spirit of the Irish from Ireland surely you are to celebrate being "Green" today. Why not? It's happy way to remember of how Saint Patrick was able to drive all the snakes out from Ireland. 

You think that's rural or urban legend? It must be true.

How long ago I had encountered with gang of snakes of all kinds? Many years ago.

This is what really happened...

Before year 1970, I think before 1968. I was asked by my Lola (grandmother) to wash the plates, drinking glass  and utensils, spatula, silverwares from our bamboo counter/sink. One of the utensils a spatula, fell from one of the slits of the bamboo down to the ground. Our house was made of hardwood/bamboo with galvanized iron roof, house on stilt.  The house posts were long maybe more than 10 ft. built to stand strong from river flood. Yup, our house was just walking distance from the river and the Sabang bridge.

I went downstairs, down above our family home. I got hold of the spatula and when I stood up suddenly there was tremor. The tremors became earthquake. I got scared. I was holding unto our house post fastened on heavy concrete and steel. Then I heard my younger brother Ramon yelling to our grandma, "Lola, inuuga ni Ibya and haligi ng bahay." I couldn't help myself laughed at what I heard because it was my first time to hear my brother talk at age 2. 

Anyway, the earthquake didn't stop almost like a wave. I was about to climb the wooden ladder at the base of the groundwall when suddenly all at once different kinds of snakes came crawling out from the wall. Different species!!! OMG! I returned running to the house post and hold tightly to that wooden post, stood there without moving and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, the snakes were gone and was able to get out and I was shocked of what I have seen above, to the road, electric posts were down, the electric wires down, there were complete disarray, coconut trees down,  houses built on stilt had fallen other houses were slight damage and the bridge? The bridge had been damage too but not totally wreck. (That famous bridge in Sabang has its own legend that I will tackle next time). 

I was thankful of course because nobody died. I have to thank God that at very young age I know how to pray and those snakes didn't bite me. Silent prayers help without being too loud. God is not deaf.