Yesterday when I woke up it seemed as if we were in for a bleak day and probably some rain. However the sky became bright and blue which was no surprise on my tropical island of Jamaica. My 2 brothers and I had an enjoyble day with our Mom in the cool hills of Boyne Park. Of course Janine was also here with us in spirit.
Above is a picture of the card that we presented to Mom early in the morning. Janine and I always liked making cards for her so I have continued this tradition. I got a cream sheet of cartridge paper and pasted a picture of the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) on it. This was taken from the January section of a calendar featuring Australian wild flowers. Strangely enough most of the pictures that I took of it showed a bright light at different sections of the flower. I saw this bright light as indicating that there is always a brighter future ahead.
You will notice that I have Janine's name listed on the card with these words 'Janine (looking down from heaven).' As I have always told Mom "While you are here on this earth I will be listing Janine's name." She is very pleased about this.
It has not been easy for Mom to see only one of us over the last 2 years and 7 months. As she told me after returning home from my Aunt Prilly's funeral, several times she just kept looking beside her and it seemed so strange to have only one of us there. Therefore every opportunity I get I keep Janine alive in her eyes.
Mom has also done a good job at this. She reminds me that Janine is not in her grave, she is right here with us.
Well, I am not blowing my own horn but I must say that I was pleased with the Mother's Day lunch that I prepared. It consisted of fried chicken, rice and peas, corn bread, baked ripe plantains and a vegetable salad. Mom and my 2 brothers commented on how lovely it was. They also enjoyed the home-made chocolate ice-cream I made and the cake I baked.
Throughout the day we had the pleasure of hearing a wide variety of songs especially for mothers on our radio stations. Some of them were songs using the pulsating reggae beat which is the national music of my country.
A big part of making the day enjoyable was discussing things about Janine and our celebrations over the years that made us smile. As I said to Mom "Everything went smoothly and quickly that it seemed as if Janine was here helping me. The only thing, I was doing most of it as usual."
I am happy that I decided to start this Blog and was able to pay special tribute to my mom with posts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I also thank all my friends who took time out to read the posts and indicated that they liked them and wrote comments to me in emails and on Facebook. Furthermore I thank everyone who sent Mom good Mother's Day wishes. She sends her heartfelt thanks to you all.
