Author Archives: bethpow06
FMM 8 9 19 Yardism
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” ~ Marcus Garvey. I was a young teenager when Rastafarianism began to come out of the corners and into the light of day. It was mostly (if I remember correctly) due to Bob Marley, who not only […]
FMM 8 2 19 Self-inflicted pain
“Life isn’t as serious as the mind makes it out to be.” ~ Ekhart Tolle. One of the hardest lessons to learn, or at least to put into practice, is the art of living in the present. I can remember, even as a child, trying to prepare for new events by seeing them in my […]
FMM 7 26 19 Don’t get it Twisted
“The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.” ~ George Eliot. “Farmer Jones walked up the path, drunk as usual.” I have never forgotten that line, the opening line to a book thrust into my hands when I was maybe eight years old. I had just started school in the hills of […]
FMM 7 12 19 Taken for Granted
“Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” ~ Louie Schwartzberg. I am neither a sun-worshiper nor a frequent beach-goer. As a child I have two sets of memories of going to the beach. In my early years in the UK, beach meant a cold and usually rainy campsite within walking distance of […]
FMM 7 5 19 Low Expectations
“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.” ~ Anonymous. I was never fond of competitive games as a child. Maybe it was because I was the youngest. I was not as smart, as quick, as experienced as my older siblings, and my feelings would get hurt […]
FMM 6 28 19 Clashing Symbols
“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” ~ Langston Hughes. I was born in a part of the world that was always famous for its rain. Manchester, in the north west of England was so wet and dreary that […]
FMM 6 21 19 I’ve looked at Clouds
“The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” ~ Aristotle. When I think about it, I had the childhood that an anthropologist would have paid money for. Being plunged into the Jamaican countryside was an immersion experience for this eight-year-old English girl. In typical Jamaican […]
FMM 6 14 19 Sing out Loud!
“As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.” ~ Nelson Mandela. There is nothing like waking up before dawn in the cool hills of Jamaica; there is peace and quiet before the roosters start to crow, and the dogs start their chorus. Once the daylight […]