Ah 2007 resolution foh de Prime Minister

From all reports and de general comments, De Christmas was good. Most people seem to have had ah Quiet and Peaceful Season, some welcome de long weekends to catch up on de much needed rest. Of course, those who loved to shop couldn’t resist de temptation. And nuff money spend! Fancy how every year we asking de same question: “way people getting de money from”? De lines at de Banks, Treasury and Western Union like dey were getting longer and longer as de days got closer and closer to Christmas, it was shopping like madness, from morning till night, Sundays included; stores were ram-packed! Lie-Za boasted bout some good bargains but we all know some good money was spent on some bad items too.{{more}}

Strange how people no longer bother to hut-dey-head over de fact that with salaries paid on de 20th December, January den becomes de longest month in de year and de hardest as well. Looking back in time when money was small and scarce, de ole folks conquered de hard times with human and humane resources. Dey toiled and shared. Every body had ah lickle back yard garden, some planted sorrel, some planted pigeon peas, corn and so on; people kept laying hens that laid eggs with ah healthy reddish colour yoke or yolk. Grandpa kept pigs and he killed de biggest hog every Christmas, so big we couldn’t eat all dat pork so de near-bars could ah light fire, put on pot and wait because dey knew their piece ah pork was sure to come. Ah great portion ah dat meat was salted and seasoned and put to dry on top de galvanized kitchen-roof in de sun, dat was foh hard time. Can’t forget how sweet dat corn-pork was, it uses to pick up ah smokey-flavour from de wood smoke that filtered thru dem nail-holes in de leaking kitchen roof; every body knew how to corn pork back den.

Granny was ah hard time specialist, she would cut-up de salt-ham bone and parcel-out foh at least three meals with peas; peas soup was never so sweet. And there was Peas and Rice washed down with sorrel, now-ah-days we eating Rice ‘n ‘ Peas, yuh could count de peas; long ago it was Peas ‘n’ Rice, more Peas than Rice with coconut milk. Oh how ah miss de January of long ago!

AH HEALING REVOLUTION

And we are not short ah Christmas Greetings and Messages these days. Everybody got ah Message from de Guv-ah-nah, to de Prime Minister, to Pastors, to Police, even de Prisoners deliver their message in concert. Strange enough dat Prison Concert contains more of de Spirit of Christmas than half ah dem messages ah read; yuh read one, yuh read all. De Prime Minister’s Message came up foh heavy discussion on ah Radio Program, in particular where he lamented over de “Poverty of the Human Spirit” that exist among an increasingly large minority who “Wallow in ah metaphorical pit of Meanness, Hate, Spite, Malice, Uncaring, and raw inhumanity to one another”. Wow! Bad people we have among us, we must correct dat! And while we treating dat bunch we have to look at another group in society dat ah believe de PM inadvertently omitted to mention, ah decreasingly small majority who are blessed with de task of Guv-on-ants, to set de pace by way of example, among which is to restore de much talked about “Humility of Spirit” that is fast becoming an alien among our people. Maybe de Prime Minister himself could lead de way, earn himself de available title of “Father of ah Healing Nation”, another Revolution maybe, or simply “Mek ah Resolution Foh 2007”, but promise He-self and de nation dat he will move on, stop referring to his critics, people who don’t always agree with what he says or does in such demeaning terms as Vagabonds, Untutored, Lowest Common Denominator, Convicted felon, Chattering Nabobs, Learned Helplessness, Fools, Dogs and other Animal species. Trust me, this also smacks of Meanness, Hate, Spite, Hurt, Uncaring and it is bad foh Spiritual Growth.

One writer puts it nicely: “Wealth, Power, Natural ability and Educational Advantages do not figure as factors in this matter of Humility of Spirit; but de Capacity of Love, the power of thorough consecration, the ability of self-littleness, and absolute losing of one’s self in God’s Glory and an insatiable yearning and seeking after all de fullness of God”. Ole people say de rain does fall from above and trickle down before de land below is nourished, so too is Love, Kindness, Forgiveness and Charity. This looks like ah good challenge foh all of us during the year 2007, ah Resolution Maybe?

AH QUITE AGREE

And ah want to send special Birthday Greetings to Mrs. Beatrice Smith, our own “Tanty B” on her 100th milestone. People don’t live to ah hundred without TLC dat’s real Tender Love and Care and here is way ah want to Big-up her daughter Christine foh ah job well done. Tanty B was Fair-minded and loving to us as kids; she and her husband Henry aka “Cappo” and “Quite Agree” now deceased, lived in Murray Village foh as long as ah could remember. One day while playing cricket on Mc Kie’s lot next to de Smiths, somebody hit ah flannel ball dat struck Cappo in his head. He quarreled big-time, but what added fire to fury was when he asked us if we knew dat de blow could ah kill him; frightened, somebody replied: “ah quite agree sir”! Dat infuriated Cappo he went wild, but would yuh believe dat Tanty B got into de melee and chastised him foh prolonging de ole talk, reminding him dat he too had his Boys Days and dat it had to be an accident. We thank God foh de lives of folks like Tanty B and Cappo, “Ah Quite Agree”, may she enjoy many more years.

And with dat ah gone again have ah Blessed NEW YEAR.

One love Bassy.