Author Archives: bethpow06
FMM 8 16 2024 One Drop
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” ~ Marcus Garvey. I became a teenager at a time of racial upheaval in the USA. It coincided with the growing consciousness (‘woke’-ness) in Jamaica of young people of African descent. Rastafarianism and awareness of African culture […]
FMM 8 9 2024 Better than she Ought to Be
“I say be careful what you teach the little childrenMake sure a nuh something to hurt themMind what yuh say to mi sistaShe could be the next Prime Minister” ~ Tony Rebel. My maternal great-grandfather was a self-made man. He left school early (as they did in those days) to be a bricklayer’s apprentice. He […]
FMM 8 2 2024 What’s Love got to do With it?
“Father, fatherWe don’t need to escalateYou see, war is not the answerFor only love can conquer hate.” ~ Marvin Gaye. Twenty-five years ago, before my father started to show evidence of cognitive decline, one of my nephews got married. Three generations of the family were represented, and my father, although he no longer officiated at […]
FMM 7 26 2024 Awaking to Presence
“An awareness of one’s mortality can lead you to wake up and live an authentic, meaningful life.” ~ Bernie Siegel. When my father was in his mid-fifties, he had a heart attack. It sneaked up on him, aches and pains in his left shoulder, that he ascribed to driving up and down the winding country […]
FMM 7 19 2024 Bout Better Being
“I’m like a recovering perfectionist. For me it’s one day at a time.” ~ Brene Brown. When I was eleven, I sat what was known as the ‘Common Entrance Exam’. This was in Jamaica, and was common to all British based educational systems. I forget how long it lasted, but it was a serious event, […]
FMM 7 5 2024 Off Grid, Off your Head?
“Vows made in storms are forgotten in calm.” ~ Thomas Fuller. I have no recollection of my first severe weather event. Growing up first in the UK, in Manchester, rain was an ever present fact of life. But it was mostly the persistent, miserable drizzle kind of rain, raindrops so fine they could be more […]
FMM 6 28 2024 Inflection Points
“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” ~ Victor Hugo. If travel is educational, then I have been blessed with learning from early childhood, and hopefully I will never graduate! This year alone, the first in my retirement, I have visited four countries (outside of the US), and several states within the […]
6 21 2024 In the Garden
“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Khalil Gibran. In the midst of my current whirlwind schedule, I am having a hard time knowing where I am. It only lasts a moment or two on waking up, as I try […]
FMM 6 14 2024 Take Care
“Life is abundant, and life is beautiful. And it’s a good place that we’re all in, you know, on this earth, if we take care of it.” ~ Alice Walker. I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I was very young. I don’t know who was my role model, or my inspiration. My […]
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