Category Food and health

FMM 11 10 17 Blind Spots

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” ~ Aldous Huxley. My brother was the only boy in our family, he was born after three girls.  I was told that my purpose in life (I came after him) was to prevent him from being […]

FMM 10 20 17 Exceeding Expectations

“Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” ~ Swami Sivananda.  I always wanted to be a nurse.  I had two dress-up outfits as a child. One was a cowgirl outfit. It came with the sheriff’s badge, a waistcoat, skirt and holster with gun.  Oh yes, […]

FMM 10 13 17 The Allure of Alliteration

“I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty.”~ Edgar Allan Poe. As children we were taught the art of remembering by a number of tricks.  Even without big theories of pedagogy, the old time teachers knew that if you presented information in rhyme or in song, it laid […]

FMM 9 29 17 Zip-lining Away!

“The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is, because man is disunited with himself.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson. There are many beautiful places in Jamaica. The name itself is descriptive: Land of wood and water (Xaymaca was the Arawak name for the island). It is said that when Christopher Columbus […]

FMM 9 22 17 Dry Wit

“Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to somebody else.”~ Will Rogers. My father had a strange sense of humor.  His jokes would often be met with a split second of silence, before the audience, whether in church, the classroom, or the huge assembly hall where as chaplain he would lead morning devotions each […]

FMM 9 15 17 Stripped Bare

“Good timber does not grow with ease. The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.” ~ Thomas S. Monson.  I traveled to Jamaica with my family in 1963, sailing on the SS Ascania.  Our journey was extended by several days, as we had to observe protocol, and allow a killer to exit the Caribbean before […]

FMM 9 8 17 Silencing Critics

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”~ Carl Jung. To those of us who grew up trying to please others, the opinion of others matters far too much.  Children whose parents have a particular standing in the community (here I am thinking of parsons and teachers) grow up […]

FMM 9 1 17 The Less I Know

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”~ e. e. cummings.  Do you remember the first time you had to question a long-held belief?  When I was young, I was totally flummoxed when my brother tried to tell me that Sunday was the […]

FMM 8 11 17 Timely Reminders

“Everyone needs reminders that the fact of their being on this earth is important and that each life changes everything.”~ Marge Kennedy. A song has been playing in my mind this week, ever since I helped my grandson with his homework.  Did you know that in Finland (so I’ve been told), children have shorter school […]

FMM 6 30 17 My White Life

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”~Joseph Campbell. I learned to ‘roll flour’ (make dumplings) at Beulah School All Age School, in Jamaica.  The girls (no boys) had to help out in the kitchen, taking it in turns to do our part.  The technique wasn’t too strange to me.  I was an […]