Entertainment with a Personal Touch
Archive for March 7, 2010
Memories of My Father
Mar 7th
The Birthday Party (A Very Colorful Musical)
Father: Celebrating his 50th birthday party.
Lena: Very excited to see the fancily decorated fruit cake, made by Mr. Joseph Newton, best cake maker in Marigot…. I kept thinking how delicious it must taste.
Father: Invited his usual friends to the party.
Lena: Must leave to sleep with adopted grandmother.
Father: Drinks and food prepared and ready for the evening’s party.
Lena: Admiring cake, wonders if there’ll be any left, when I return home next day.
Father: Out of the house at the moment, probably collecting last minute items.
Lena: Time to leave. Looks at the cake, cuts a slice, then turns the cake around.
Father: Guests arrive for birthday party.
Lena: Enjoys eating cake, while walking to grandmother’s house.
Father: Having too much fun to notice a slice of his birthday cake is missing.
Lena: Never heard about the cake and don’t remember telling anyone about it until I was grown.
Father: Never missed celebrating his birthday.
Lena: Twenty years later, flew to Dominica, on my father’s birthday, with a cake, for a surprise visit.
Father: Sat playing with his island friends.
Lena: I came all the way here to personally present you with your birthday gift.
Father: Very surprise, but his heart was strong enough to withstand the surprise.
Lena: Prepared food and drinks for the birthday party.
Father: Enjoyed his birthday party, drank and danced while having a great time, then he fell into bed.
Lena: After three days on the island, I returned to the USA.
Father: Continues celebrating his other birthdays while living in Dominica.
Lena: Five years after my surprise birthday visit, I returned to the island one month before my father’s 86th birthday.
Lena: Very upsetting to see how frail and thin my father has become. Leaves the room in tears.
Father: Cries when he sees me. He’s very sick and weak, barely able to walk, uses a wheelchair, which he has mastered around the house.
Lena: Within the next few days, I planned a birthday party, invited people in the village and gave him his final party.
Father: Unable to dance, but strong enough to enjoy his birthday party and cut his birthday cake.
Lena: That was my final birthday celebration with my father.
Father: He is very sad to see me leave, starts crying. Knows we might not see each other again.
Lena: Arrive at the airport, checked in too late, missed my flight. Returned home under bright, blue, sunny skies.
Father: Very happy to see me return and perks up a bit.
Lena: Sat on balcony admiring the beautiful blue sky while enjoying a cold drink. Spending another night in Dominica with my father, made a significant difference, to the both of us….. incidentally, that would have been our last night together, before his passing.
This incident occurred when I was about ten years old; yet, the memories are as vivid as they were that Saturday afternoon, so many many years ago. My father celebrated all his birthdays, sometimes the guest were many and sometimes just a few. My father counted his birthday by days and could easily tell you how old he was by days and years. His favorite quote was, “if life be long, I’ll be glad, if short, why should I be sad?” A very serious, yet extremely playful man, he easily got along with young and old people alike. He enjoyed playing dominos and was eager to play with just about anyone who could pick up a domino… including my nephew, Jaheil, who was about three years old at the time, but quickly understood my father’s intense, yet childlike love, for the domino game.
Memories of My Mother
Mar 7th
The Social (A White Musical)
Mother: A devout member of the Women’s League of the Methodist Church.
Lena: Third of three daughters and old enough to perform at a social.
Mother: Preparing for upcoming social by writing and reviewing notes.
Lena: Found an interesting little poem in reading book.
Mother: Lena, you can recite that poem at concert.
Lena: I am excited about the idea, but my mother is truly over joyed for me.
Mother: Very excited. Keeps encouraging me to practice.
Lena: Agrees to recite poem at concert.
Mother: Mother promises to make me a pretty, pink dress, which she does.
Lena: “I am little sad face sue can someone tell me what to do?”
Mother: Very happy with Lena practicing poem over and over.
Mother & Lena: Leaves home for church where social is being held.
Lena: In the church. Time to get up on stage to recite poem.
Mother: It is your turn to perform. Shoving her elbow towards Lena.
Lena: Stands up, sits down, stands up one more time then covers her face.
Mother: Continues shoving me with her elbow while I kept on crying.
Lena: Crying, I can’t go up there, I can’t go up there.
Mother: Yes, you can, stop crying and go up on the stage, now. Lena.
Lena: Crying, crying, I can’t go up there, I am afraid…… continues crying.
Mother: Very upset and visibly disappointed in her little girl.
Lena: Very sad and not being able to recite poem, I remained in my seat and kept on crying, looking like “little sad face sue.”
Mother: Enjoys other performances, but still a bit upset with Lena.
Mother & Lena: Discusses the incident and wonders what went wrong.
Mother: Continued her usual Women’s league activities, which included Wednesday’s meeting.
Lena: Went on to join the girl’s brigade and performed in several short plays.
This is an incident which occurred when I was about five years old, but it has remained with me throughout my life. Now that I am older, I have a picture of myself walking onto the stage and proudly reciting “I am little sad face sue, can someone tell me what to do” with tears streaming down my little, sad face — what a natural and stunning performance that would have been.
Nonetheless, several years ago, after completing two speech courses, I proudly walked onto the stage of that same church and gave a speech, in loving memory of my deceased mother and father….. Most importantly, I was not afraid and did not shed a tear. According to the famous artist, Tom Jones “Memories don’t leave like people do, they always stay with you, whether they be good or bad it’s just something that we have.” My parents were two wonderful and loving people who are gone, but will never be forgotten, because “memories don’t leave like people do.”
Everyone has a story to tell….. I am happy to share these two favorite stories of memories of my father and mother, though sad at times, yet interesting enough to stay with me for ever.
Mrs. Ivy Burham of Wesley, Died on Friday, March 5, 2010, in Dominica
Mar 7th
We wish to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Mrs. Ivy Burham of Wesley, who passed away at the Roseau Hospital, on Friday, March 5, 2010. She was the grandmother of Cornel James, and the great grandmother of Jaheil James. She leaves to mourn several children, many other grandchildren, great grandchildren, as well as numerous relatives and friends, in Dominica and abroad.
Although we are deeply saddened by the death of Mrs. Ivy Burham, we hope that her family and friends will be comforted, knowing that we share in their grief, and will keep them in our thoughts and prayers. May wonderful memories of Ivy, a lovely woman who lived a long and fulfilled life, bring joy to their hearts, during this time of mourning.
I remember Ms. Ivy as a tall, beautiful and generous woman who was always very kind to me, when, as a young girl, I made several trips to her home to either pickup or return Cornel, when he was a baby. She was always very brisk and often working on the land. During my visits to Wesley, Ivy lived quiet a long distance from the main road — that was always a nice hike, traveling to Wesley and returning to Marigot — sometimes walking all the way.
For the past several years, Cornel has been taking his son, Jaheil, to visit his great grandmother, sometime leaving him with her for several days, which he enjoyed. While I was in Dominica last December, Jaheil asked me if I would join he and his father during one of their visits to his great grandmother, I promised him I would; unfortunately, we will not have the opportunity to make that visit together. Nonetheless, Jaheil is a very smart and curious little boy, who I have no doubt, will continue asking questions about his great grandmother, while he cherishes his fond memories of their time spent together.
A funeral service for the late Mrs. Ivy Burham is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2010, at the Wesley, Seventh Day Adventist Church.
May her soul rest in peace.
