It’s Been A While…

Its been a while since my last post… a long while!  Some of that is due to my being super-busy with work, some is due to the feeling that nobody but my bro really reads it anyway (not downplaying you, Bro )

Anyways – as I sit here waiting up to pick up MBJr at the airport, I’m dwelling on all kinds of thoughts…  Thoughts of family, of my youth, of growing up in Jamaica, of my relationships with my family-members – all KINDS of things!!!

I am fearful – yet calm – about my mom and my sisters in Jamaica!  Fearful, because 65 -our Dad was the one who always took care of EVERYTHING!!!  If they really had an emergency during this storm, I would worry if he were there, but nowhere near as much – because he was the one that really took care of us all, no matter our age, marital status, whatever!!!

Calm, because having prayed with some people who truly care, and reached out to all my friends here for prayer and support, I know God will cover them and keep them all safe – the same with Grand Cayman!!! 

 So between the prayer of my friends here, there and 65 himself praying for us from above, I know we will all be safe!!!

It made me think back to the only hurricane I really ever experienced – Gilbert in 1988!  At that time we lived in the Liguanea area of Kingston, and Gilbert came as a Category 3 storm…  I’d never really experienced a hurricane before, so I really was not afraid…   And, truth be told, the house had a slab/concrete roof, so we were really fine, all things considered!!! 

But when 65, MB and I ventured out the next day to see what had happened around us (phones were out, lights were out, water was off), we were all in shock at what we saw!!!   I think it was a good 6 months before we got back to normal (with basic utilities, I mean).

 I remember being so much the baby of the family (the youngest of 7 kids – hence MB’s Nickname for me) and with MB as the one closest in age, he was my play-partner, as it were!!!  He was an amazing big brother…

Don’t get me wrong – we had our fights!!!  I remember being the only girl among a group of boy-kids in our neighborhood, and obviously, wanting to play with them!  They would have these (essentially) Ultimate Fighting games, where they would pair off against each other – looking back, I thought they paired me with Jay to teach me not to want to play with them (Jay was closest to me in age – younger, actually! - but oh my GOSH – a TROG in size!!!)

Now, I think they just felt it was the only fair pair-up (maybe I’m  being very forgiving of MB – he’d have to say )

But each and every time, Jay would kick my proverbial BUTT!!!  And EVERY single time, I’d go home (right next door) crying!!!  My parents had a balcony off their bedroom then – it faced the front of the house, so my mom would be there after a long day at work, watch me walk across from next door, bawling from my ass-whupping, and she’d yell down “What’s wrong”

And you know the thing I remember saying consistently – and it was such a lame lie – but I remember saying “MB told his friends to beat me up!!!”  (After all, if I was suffering – it only seemed fair to me at the time that he should too!!!)

But, after 6 prior kids, my Mom was impervious to some of my attempts at manipulation, and would always yell back down “I told you if you play with your brother you’d get hurt – now go get bathed and dressed for bed!!!”

Did I have a fair upbringing -hmm – depends on which side of the coin you were on!!!  Hmm!!! 

Truthfully – I was a manipulative little suck – and I knew how to push buttons to get my way – I will admit – for this ONE AND ONLY TIME – that being the youngest of 7, I may have been just a tad bit spoiled!!!  But luckily for me – prior experience helped my parents to balance that tendancy to spoil me with the desire to instill manners, discipline, etc…

I remember all the houses we lived in (in my lifetime) and the friends we had at each – I remember our Church, up at the Immaculate Conception Church in Stony Hill, Jamaica, where I grew up!  I was married there…

I remember going to Prayer Group meetings with my parents at the auditorium at Holy Cross (A ‘Charismatic group’ – something I now interpret as a group of Catholics who have based their lives on the full Bible and the full denominational Christian life – without actually saying so – forgive me to those I offend by this statement, but this is my opinion).

 I remember PB, Father Joe, Orange Grove, where much of my youth was spent sitting upon the gatepost entertaining myself (aka as talking to myself, as I waited for MB to get home)!!!

I remember one of 65’s greatest sources of joy was how much I love MB – and if 6pm came and MB wasn’t yet home from school – I would weep… oh, how I would weep!!!  This is the result of growing up in the 70’s in Jamaica, with the political violence and fear…

I remember when we had the gas strike in the 70’s, and there were riots – I was still at Immaculate Prep, and they made us all go back to our homerooms and sit quietly, waiting to be collected by our parents…  I remember sitting there quietly, till I saw my Mom at the door of my classroom, there to pick me up…  I don’t know that MB got picked up, being on North Street – what’s your recollection of that Bro – I think that was one of my weeping moments…!!!

 I remember being in the TV room with my family in the 1970’s and the political violence was at the highest level we’ve ever and will ever see!!!  We’d sit there watching “Little House On The Prairie”, and gunshots would ring out – seemingly loud and close-by – and we’d all hit the floor – because you didn’t know where it was coming from..  

But not 65!!!  Oh no… 65 and some of the other brave “Neighborhood Watch” guys would go out and see that everyone was okay – what a childhood!!!!  And for the stupidity of political doctrine….  Years later, I think we can all agree that the political doctrine that caused the battles were really a fight for power – because I have a very hard time believing today that either party really gave a hoot about our welfare as a people – as a country!

And so, once again, as we wait out another crises in the Caribbean, I write y’all to death!!!  Hey – if you’re in Jamaica or Cayman – stay safe!!!  That’s an order!!! 

And to everyone else, pray…