Thank you Lord Jesus

Doc Adams gave me ah joke bout ah fellar name Jim travelling pon ah vessel dah was sinking. Jim was ah candle maker, supplying de churches, spiritual Baptists and others, but he wasn’t religious or de praying kind ah person. De ship going down slowly while he dey listening to everybody praying, begging God foh mercy, promising to do all kind ah thing if God would spare dey life. One woman told God she would light a candle every Sunday at church till she dead. {{more}}On hearing dat Jim start ah pray too: “Father God, if yuh spare me life, ah will mek ah candle as big as de vessel mast and keep it burning foh ever”. De lady wid de “one candle prayer” overheard Jim and got upset, she asked him if he think God is any pappy-show wid him. “Not really,” he said. “Ah just trying ah thing like all ah you, ah seeing if ah could fool God too”!

Ah had to try ah Jim Sat-dey afternoon going into de night when Tore-mas was packing ninety miles ah hour winds from all directions. Trees dancing hoola-hoop, de coconut tree and dem dancing limbo, me one plum-rose tree try ah limbo too and brek in two. Three trips to de toilet and no bowel movement, ah figure is time to pray like ah never pray before. Trouble is, ah was shame to even call on God. Ah been fooling God (so ah think) so many times, making promises taller dan Jim’s candle, but could never keep me promise and dem. Ah realize ah had no choice but to seek forgiveness. Ah beg Him: “Lord if you spare we dis time, ah will write ah whole article in me column just saying: “Thank you Lord Jesus”! De moment ah say Amen, de place got calm and not ah drop ah breeze. Ah tell meself “Aha! God give me ah nex chance”. Same time though, one heavy gust ah wind blew, it pound foh ah good thirty seconds, non-stop! Ah realize right away dat ah mek God get rathed, He mad wid me foh trying stunts wid Him”. Luckily foh all ah we, God got ah sense ah humor, when we trying stroke wid Him, He does get ah good laugh. He knows all ah we and He did answer me prayer, He calmed de storm, ah so happy ah can’t wait to keep my side ah de bar-gain. “Thank you Lord Jesus” foh spare-in us ah de full wrath ah dat fellar Tore-Mas who just spring hap-has-it pon we. Is long time we had it coming; every time storm or hurry-cane in de area we ignore all Reports, saying how Yuh (God) is a Vincentian, and no storm or hurry-cane coming hey. Well Sat-dey gone, we got ah lickle taste only to remind us, dat Yuh does rain pon de just as well as de unjust. Lie-Za insist is because Yuh is ah Vincy why we got off wid ah category one hurry-cane. De talk is some 600 house damaged, Lord, ah will have to count dem me-self, but not de Bananas, Hurry-cane Tore-Mas-acres ah we bananas, maybe dis is your way of telling us to rethink our position on Bananas. Do yuh want us to explore new markets foh our short crops? Should we respond now to Sir James’ call foh cocoa, ah new, permanent crop? Whatever is your message to our farmers show us de way, but “Thank you Lord Jesus”! Lord we can’t done thank You foh dem faithful and hard-working staff at CWSA, Vinlec, de Hospital, Sanitation and ME-NO oops NEMO, dey all toiled round-de-clock, non-stop until de services were restored in record time. Again ah say: “Thank You Lord Jesus”! And ah offering ah special prayer foh de Radio Stations, special mention foh Nice Radio wid Dug-he and Randy- D who kept us abreast wid way happening around de island all day Sat-dey, till late in de night when dey generator conk-out. Lord, nah mek dem shut down Nice Radio, and send some real “Vibes” fo Randy D. “Thank You Lord Jesus” in advance. Ah believe Yuh wanted Tore-mas to bring we to we cents-is and unite; but Lord Yuh know dat when dis is all over, we gone back to worship we own image which is we-self! But foh those of us who know from whence cometh our help, we say “Thank You Lord Jesus”!

WHERE WERE DE BIKERS

Yuh never miss de water till de well run dry. One ah de highlight ah de In-de-pen-dance has been de “Bikers Rally” at Pembroke. Leroy “Fly” Edwards has been ah tower of strength wid his personal funds, keeping de event going. Dis year he was expecting Stunt Riders from as far as West Africa, but somehow Fly got left out in de cold, and de Association failed to deliver. Dis event is a good tour-is-him product, we can’t allow it to disappear like dat. Swallow pride fellars and get to-gather foh next year.

Our Police Band Conductor foh dis year, Inspector Jam-back filling in foh Insp. Sampson, stole de In-dip-and-dance parade. Every year is de same ole military display: “Quick march! Attention! Company present Arms! Boring Stuff! But dis year, Inspector Jam-back, who foh de last thirty-one years, has never missed ah parade playing his trombone, decided to break away from Pro-tek-all, two tenor pan players (policemen) wid pan around de neck set de crowd on fire wid an exhibition ah pan-dance. Den was Station Sarge Jam-back himself, who literally mash down Victoria Park wid his version of Michael Jackson’s “Moon-walk”! Ah saw him yesterday walking wid ah slight limp, ah believe he twisted his ankle trying to out-do Michael Jackson. Well done Jam-back and full marks to de Police Band. Even dat ah saying “Thank You Lord Jesus”; and is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.