Weekend Reflections: Being Grateful
Flash flooding in Kuantan
Living in Singapore we are sheltered by many natural disasters which are happening in the region. We are being sheltered by Malaysia and Indonesia and these two countries take the brunt of typhoons, tsunamis and earthquakes that happen in this area.
The kids were really shocked to see the road next to the hotel flooded through after it has been raining heavily for a few hours. As you can see from the picture above the water level was up to half of the car and the motorbikes that were parked were overturned by the flood waters. We had actually planned to go to the mall for lunch but since the road was not passable we had to settle for cup noodles which we purchase the night before. Luckily I do store extra food in our hotel room in case any of the kids do get hungry so they didn’t starve that afternoon.
That day the kids learned first hand how inconvenient it can be we experience natural disasters like floods. The among of damage that nature can inflict on our lives in an instant. We should be grateful that we are safe and don’t need to experience such natural disasters on a regular basis. The more we should give praise to the LORD for his blessings.
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January 18, 2013 @ 4:35 pm
That must be an experience for your kids!
January 18, 2013 @ 5:50 pm
Yeah, be grateful! 🙂 Weather patterns are weird these days. Places that aren’t normally visited by typhoons are no longer spared. We really have to be careful.
January 18, 2013 @ 8:54 pm
I feel the same way.
Although the Philippines has been devastated by several typhoons during the past few months, my province has been spared from flooding, landslides, and the like. And for that I am really grateful.
January 18, 2013 @ 10:54 pm
WOW—yes the weather patterns are changing WORLD WIDE!
January 19, 2013 @ 12:49 am
I’m not afraid of much….but natural disasters are right up there in the top 5! That’s just something you can’t control and have to depend totally and fully on God to protect you and your family. I’m happy to hear you don’t see much in the way of natural disasters. We don’t either…we get the very rare tornado and that’s about it, thank God.
January 19, 2013 @ 9:41 am
You are lucky that you had extra food in your hotel since you were stranded in your hotel. Good thinking mama.
January 19, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
Wow . . . that was some rainstorm. What a great lesson to teach your children about God’s protection.
The rains came all week until day when the sun was shining brightly. How nice to get out and enjoy God’s world while using time wisely with my family. Happy reflecting!
January 19, 2013 @ 6:55 pm
that last sentence says it all – praising the Lord in ALL things….
January 19, 2013 @ 7:36 pm
I think the weather these days has gone mad lol. At least you were all safe and that is all that matters. Its a very cold and snow UK today so I am staying warm.
January 19, 2013 @ 8:35 pm
Im also grateful that my family are in good health and safe from harm. Those are most important. Small things should not worry us because there are people whosuffer far more than we do.
January 19, 2013 @ 9:11 pm
Just being able to blog means we have so much to be grateful for. I hope the water subsides soon.
January 20, 2013 @ 7:29 am
@Ceemee,
the waters did subside the next day as we were able to drive off to our next destination in Malaysia, Genting Highlands.
January 20, 2013 @ 7:43 am
Thank Jesus for that!
January 20, 2013 @ 1:06 am
So glad that you are safe and your kids get to watch the “exciting” flash flood. I lived in the Philippines for a while and I remember the damage that a simple rain can do. Praise God that you are safe. How did the owner of the car turn out?
January 20, 2013 @ 7:28 am
@Reed,
Not sure about that car but it was gone by the time the flood waters subsided during dinner time. We managed to leave the place the next day and drove back to Singapore.
January 20, 2013 @ 2:29 am
Wow that flood water was high. We have been lucky to not have a lot of bad weather this winter season. We did get slightly hit by Hurricane Sandy but it wasn’t super bad. At least you guys were fine.
January 20, 2013 @ 3:24 am
It is so true that seeing what others go through in their lives can wake us up and realize how much we have to be thankful for.
January 20, 2013 @ 6:23 am
Wow, that is quite the sight! I am fascinated with Singapore. I did ghostwriting for about 100 travel articles for Singapore, and after learning about just about every hotel, attraction, and shopping place I really want to visit!
January 20, 2013 @ 6:32 am
Wow, that sounds very scary! I’m glad to hear that you were OK and that you had something to eat!! Praying that you remain safe 🙂
January 20, 2013 @ 10:08 am
Wow – when I saw the photo, I first thought about the images I saw in New Jersey when Hurricane Sandy struck. I could not imagine living somewhere with the threat of flooding, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Also, flash flooding is even scarier because it can happen with no warning. I really feel for people that have to go through that…
January 20, 2013 @ 1:18 pm
I grew up with earthquakes in California and I’ve lived for many years in tornado alley Texas. But something about flooding really freaks me out even more. And being trapped in a hotel room because of bad weather with all my kids sounds even scarier 🙂
January 20, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
Embellished cars (cutesie patootsie) are common in Singapore? I also saw a hello kitty car there. keep safe. Weather is fickle.
January 20, 2013 @ 8:22 pm
@Kat,
Not really..the photo was taken in Kuantan, Malaysia when we were there on vacations last year.
January 20, 2013 @ 8:50 pm
Indeed we are to be grateful to God everyday! Even in the most difficult time of our lives we can always find reasons to be still be thankful for.
January 20, 2013 @ 9:30 pm
Wow! I cannot say that I’ve ever experienced anything like that. It must have been something to see! I hope you and your family are keeping safe!
January 21, 2013 @ 12:21 am
Wow, that is really scary. Sometimes it has to take seeing a flooded road or a really bad storm to remind us that we need to take each day as it comes. Living fully and in gratitude for the time we do have to spend with our children and loved ones. We’ve been lucky, I do remember bad storms when I was younger – with trees falling down and a couple of earth quakes, but I wouldn’t say we suffered much more than a couple of hours of inconvenience.
January 21, 2013 @ 8:51 am
My neighborhood in the United States (in “upstate New York”) was hit by a 100 year flood and a 500 year flood (meaning those are the chances of the flood occurring) in a 5 year period. We are still recovering from a flood in 2011. Flash flooding can be scary to witness and even dangerous. I am glad you and your children are OK.
January 21, 2013 @ 12:10 pm
On the positive side, it was good that your kids learned this important lesson while still being safe in your hotel room. Yesterday there were floodings reported in the South of the Philippines. I hope everyone’s safe and damage is not too much.
January 22, 2013 @ 12:12 pm
The last bad weather phenomena we had here was a blizzard back in 1993. It is tragic to see it happening elsewhere in the world. I’m glad that the flood wasn’t too bad when you were in Malaysia.
January 23, 2013 @ 12:23 am
I’m glad you were all safe and had extra food in your hotel room. Watching natural disasters when they strike certainly does remind us to be grateful for simply being able to meet our basic needs and to think more about being prepared.
January 23, 2013 @ 2:48 am
Since we just went through this a few weeks ago with Hurricane Sandy, its scary for adults and kids to experience a natural disaster. I grew up in Japan and have gone through many a typhoon. Thanks for sharing
January 23, 2013 @ 10:31 am
Glad you were all safe. It is funny how God allows us to experience extreme weather and how it provides opportunities for us to teach our kids life lessons.
January 24, 2013 @ 10:39 am
How fortunate you are that you live in a place of relative safety.
I pray that God continues to protect you and your family!