Category Global health and disparities
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 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 […]
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 7 2024 Jamaica Medz
“Many of us have been running all our lives. Practice stopping.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh. I have always been a morning person, early to rise (also, early to bed!). It has never been a challenge for me to be up with the roosters, or even (as they say in Jamaica) before ‘cock put on ‘im […]
FMM 5 24 2024 A Ton of Bricks
“The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” ~ Mark Twain. They say confession is good for the soul. I was an Elvis fan from early. You could say I had a celebrity crush on him, and even had a postcard sized head shot in black and white pinned on my […]
FMM 5 17 2024 Half the Story
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” ~ Lao Tzu. Mother-daughter relationships are complicated. I have no idea why they have to be, but it is an altogether different vibe from mother-son connection. Having one daughter and three sons, I learned that early on. There was a […]
FMM 5 10 2024 Shaping Culture
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ~ Ray Bradbury. When I was very young, I was volunteered to be a model in a ‘mannequin parade’. This was a fashion show, and I don’t recall the details, but it may have been some kind of […]
FMM 5 3 2024 Our Cruise Ship Earth
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” ~ Desmond Tutu. This week has been a week of sudden memories, sparked by forgotten sensations. It reminded me that with childbirth and the sight of a newborn child, memories of the prior child are recalled clear and fresh, even […]