BUSINESS & LIFE: Christmas Reflection

Christmas is a time of giving and sharing, as we reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  It is a festive time as we deep clean our homes, change curtains, buy new furniture, cook up a storm with all the traditional foods, gather the family together for music, love, laughter and dancing.  I particularly loved Christmas as a child: the sewernal, the new clothes and shoes, shopping on Christmas Eve, many presents and most of all the cook-up and party with friends.  On Christmas Eve, we would all go to town and shop, afterwards we would meet at the home of one of the friends and cook a broth, and then we would attend Midnight Mass. After Midnight Mass, we would gather again at the home where the broth was cooked, and we would stay up all night talking, dancing, eating and having fun, while the adults were having their own event.  Before we left about 6am, we would be served a mini-breakfast of ham, bread, fruitcake, cocoa tea or showdoe.  This was like a ritual and every year we alternated homes.  This, and the serwenal are the parts about Christmas I miss the most.  This is a tradition I plan to introduce to Nathan, as he gets older.

Early in December, I reconnected with a friend from Anguilla who I had not seen for many years.  I launched Phenomenal Caribbean Women Symposium 2014 in Anguilla and after the program, I got a call, and it was my friend, Judy, whom I first met in 1985.  We met and had a lot of catching up to do, and in the course of reconnecting I learnt she had lost one of her daughters in her early 20s.  In Judy’s words, “she was a bright spark, who had so much promise and who knew what she wanted out of life and was prepared to work for it.”  She then went on to tell me that she no longer celebrate Christmas and attend family gatherings as it is too painful as she is the only one of her siblings who has lost a child.    I felt sad and told her that she should change the focus and celebrate her daughter’s life rather than mourn it.  I am sure that this is what this bright young spark would want.  Yet, I could understand her pain.

As I write this, I think of Aisha James who has lost one daughter and has her only son and another daughter hospitalised following the accident at Hampstead last evening.  I was at the Casaulty early this morning and met the injured daughter, father and Aunt of the children and engaged the aunt in conversation, without knowing they were Aisha’s children.  The father’s pain was visible with tears rolling, though stoic.  I could just imagine the sense of loss and commented that so often while we busily go about our way, thinking Christmas is a happy occasion for all, there are many who dread the holidays for it brings back memories of loved ones who are no longer there.  Can you imagine for one moment being Aisha, Kenneth, a family member, the siblings who were involved in the accident and witnessed the death of their sister even while themselves injured and who most likely will be spending Christmas at the hospital?  I was deeply saddened and when I found out that it was someone I knew, my heart sank even deeper.

This accident and death reminded me again that we need to return to the true meaning of Christmas, where the focus is Christ, and not the gifts, food and dance.  It is appreciating that because of Mary’s “Yes,” and Christ’s birth, we have life; that we are made in God’s image and likeness, and we are our brothers’ keepers.

As we celebrate the Season, let us stop and take time to listen to someone else’s story, to say an encouraging word, to give a helping hand, or to simply be present.  Let us think of someone in need, and help meet that need or one of the needs.  Let us think of the many children who have not experienced true family love and open our homes to them, providing a safe haven, even if it is only for a day.  Let us think of the homeless, lonely and destitute whom we may encounter daily but cast aside as we go our way, and provide some comfort.  In short, let us make this Christmas more about others than self.  Let us help someone carry his/her load, thereby lessening it, if only for a day or a season.

I know that there are many people who have devoted their lives to others, and for whom this is a daily walk, and I thank them for their selflessness, love and being their brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.   I pray God continues to bless them and their work as they live the spirit of Christmas every day.  I think of Gloria “Lioness” Walsh, Phenomenal Caribbean Woman 2013, Mrs. Ignatia Alcendor Pascal, Phenomenal Caribbean Woman 2012, Mrs. Nathalie Murphy, Phenomenal Caribbean Woman 2012 and Mrs. Patsy Thomas, Phenomenal Caribbean Woman 2009; it is miraculous what they achieve with little.

I extend my deepest condolences to Aisha, Kenneth and family, as they mourn the loss of their daughter and loved one.  I also extend my condolences to all others who have suffered the loss of a loved one, including Mrs. Alice Louis, Mrs. Eudora Shaw, Mrs. Melina St. Hilaire and family.  I pray for God’s grace, mercy, peace and consolation so that they will, in time, turn their mourning to joy as they celebrate the life of their loved ones, and focus on the joys they brought during their sojourn, no matter the time – short or long.  May their souls rest in peace and the angels come to meet them.

I take this opportunity to wish you, my readers, a Happy, Peaceful and Reflective Christmas and a Happy, Prosperous, Healthy and Peaceful 2014.

Until we meet again, May the Lord Continue to Keep Us in the Palm of His Hands.