A VERY SPECIAL MOTHER!

PICTURES OF MOM WITH HER CHILDREN!

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


    From the early age of 13 years old I have only had one parent, my mother, Kathleen Naomi Haughton-James ( nee Lindo).  She became a widow on August 14,1975, when my  father Harry collapsed and died of a heart attack while performing his duties as a Councillor in the St.Mary Parish Council on the tropical island of Jamaica.


    Since that fateful day I have been amazed at the strength that she has displayed when she encountered what I call the valleys on this journey called life. It is not that she did not display sadness for the loss of her husband when she was only 47 years old but managed to have the strength in holding it together and taking care of her family. It was a strength noticed not only by her family. I can never forget the words that someone said to her shortly after my father's death - "Mrs. James, there are so many beautiful things about you, but probably the most beautiful of them all, is your ability to take knocks."


     The person who said this died some years ago, but little did he know that come October 16, 2008 mom would have suffered yet another blow, that of the death of her youngest child and my identical twin sister Janine.  Again she showed all the signs of loss and it was more difficult then as she was now a lady in her 80s.  However again she held it together and was a tower of strength for me. I keep saying to her "God certainly knew how important it was for you to have been around when Janine died." We have been through our trials together and her strength has helped to pilot me through my darkest hour.


     Of utmost importance is her strong Christian faith which has never faltered despite the circumstances that she has encountered. This has been such a good example for me who in turn leaned on this faith to carry me through the most challenging period of my life. I am truly blessed to have her as my mother.


    Every Mother's Day she gets a card and despite the fact that Janine is no longer around I never fail to write in it - "From your children: Richard, Sutcliffe, Judy and Janine (looking down from heaven)."


    I know the day will come when my mom is no longer around but I hope I will get the chance to celebrate many more Mother's Days with her. Every day I give God thanks for giving me such a special mother.

THE WORD MOTHER

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


This Sunday, May 8, will be celebrated as Mother's Day in Jamaica and many countries.  I take this opportunity to wish all mothers a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Today, Saturday and Mother's Day I happily post tributes to my own mother Kathleen Naomi Haughton-James.


More than I could ever ask for,


Overcoming so many obstacles in life,


There with me as I traverse life's hills and valleys,


Holding my hand every step of the way,


Ever sure and ready with strong faith,


Really a tower of strength for me and all to see.

PICTURES OF MOM OVER THE YEARS!

DAILY WORD - A POWERFUL LITTLE MAGAZINE!

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


    Ever since I was a teenager the Daily Word magazine published by Unity has been subscribed to by my family. It is a most inspirational magazine that always has a message to uplift your spirit at the very right time.  When my twin sister was ill she still found time to read it in the morning or have it read to her. I have also found it to be extremely helpful since her death and never fail to read it early every morning.


     There are monthly affirmations, the Editor's Note as well as an inspirational article at the beginning of every month. The poems and Letters From The Heart are also very good. From day to day each month you get a message about FAITH, DIVINE ORDER, HEALING, GRACE, HARMONY, PROSPERITY, ILLUMINATION and so much more. When an entire issue is finished I even sit and read the entire month's messages again. I am really happy that my parents introduced me to this magazine.


   Speaking of Unity, over the years I have read several books that my parents bought which were written by one of their authors.  I also remember how my twin sister and I eagerly looked forward to the Wee Wisdom magazine when we were children.


   I eagerly recommend this powerful little magazine. It is definitely worth the read whether you are experiencing good or bad times.

THE NEED TO WRITE

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


       Shortly after Janine's death I remember a cousin saying to me "Why not start a Blog where you can share your thoughts on what it is like being a twinless twin?"  Then I was so confused that I never gave it much thought.  However after 2 years of linking up with other twinless twins, reading books and better understanding a lot of my experiences I decided to start a Blog. If you are a twinless twin write down your thoughts, poems, articles etc. even if you do not want to share them with others. You will definitely find doing so therapeutic.
      I am also happy to see other twinless twins having Blogs. Three twinless twin Blogs that I am currently following are Enjy's Place, Kari's Blog and Twin Love. I have also joined the Experience Project's Twinless Twins group. I had some problems accessing the site but happily that problem seems to be over.  If anyone knows of other twinless twin Blogs please share them with me.  In the meantime write on.  Below is a poem that I wrote some months after Janine's death.


THE NEED TO WRITE
By Judy Haughton-James


I have always wanted to work in the media,
Being a broadcaster was the first idea.
Finally decided to be a Journalist,
And pursued my goal with earnest.


Did courses in Journalism and Writing,
Found them extremely interesting.
Broke into print with hobbies and interests,
Since then have written on a wide range of subjects.


These days writing for me is therapy,
While others offer me sympathy.
Now without my identical twin,
I draw on all the strength within.

celine dion ft. josh groban, the prayer

Josh Groban - Your Raise Me Up on Ellen Show

MUSIC AS THERAPY

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


      Some years ago my identical twin sister Janine and I had an article published in Jamaica's national Sunday Gleaner newspaper titled 'MUSIC AS THERAPY.'  It gave facts on research findings showing the effect of music on human beings, plants and animals.  We started it with this quotation from one of the world's great philosopher's, Plato - "Music is moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything."


     I remember the days when we started playing the recorder at St. Cyprian's Prep School. We were even brave enough to play it in front of the whole school at devotion when we were in high school. Oh, how I wish that we had continued piano lessons. We were even members of the choirs at our two high schools.


    We have always found time to enjoy listening to music and our taste included a wide variety - reggae, calypso, soul, gospel etc. These days I do not get to listen to a lot of music during the week but I certainly make sure to get my fair share from the radio stations and video programmes on television during the weekends.


      As I write about this subject I am here wondering when I will be able to take up the case with CDs that Janine and I received as gifts or bought ourselves.  Not even at Christmas time am I able to listen to our many Christmas CDs.  Anyway I am happy that I can still watch and enjoy the popular Digicel Rising Stars Show which Janine and I enjoyed so much.  I eagerly await the start of this year's season.


     There are several songs that have had a great impact on me since Janine's death.  Two of them are Josh Groban's song 'You Raise Me Up' and Judy Jacob's Song 'Days of Elijah (There is No God Like Jehovah).'  I find them so inspirational.


    Whenever I hear Josh Groban's song I remember how it lifted my spirit so many mornings shortly after Janine's death. There was a talkshow on radio that we used to listen to every morning and the host always started her show  with this song.


     Music is indeed powerful! As our late reggae superstar Bob Marley said in his song Trench Town Rock "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

THE JOYS OF PEN-PALLING

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES
        For many years Janine and I have corresponded with pen-pals and it is was always No.1 on our list of hobbies.  We even had the pleasure of meeting some of these pen-pals - Vicki from the U.S.A., Dominique from Switzerland and Sue from England. I will never forget the enjoyable afternoon we had at The Ruins Restaurant in the popular Jamaican tourist resort of Ocho Rios when we met our mom's pen-pal Dorothy whom she had already corresponded with for over 60 years.
       Since Janine's death in 2008 I have kept in contact with many of her former pals. Robby from Italy has been a great friend as she has helped me throughout these challenging times with positive words in emails and our chats on Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo Chat and MSN.
      This poem that I have written sums up how I feel about this hobby and I know that Janine shared this opinion during her time here on earth.


      THE JOYS OF PENPALLING


For many years I have been pen-palling,
A hobby I have found fulfilling.
So much I have learnt,
From persons on this earth.


People live many miles apart,
But are quite similar at heart.
Interesting people, customs, places to learn about,
A wealth of information there is absolutely no doubt.


Sharing tales of failure, success, joy and sorrow,
You build a strong friendship for tomorrow.
The day may come when pen-pals meet
Each other like long lost friends they greet.

OUR FAVOURITE PETS OVER THE YEARS

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES

       Throughout the years Janine and I have always had dogs as pets.  As a matter of fact at times we had several dogs and I mean as many as 6 or more!  Our dogs have enjoyed our environment as living on a farm they have a lot of land that they could run around freely on.  Although all dogs are treated well you can't help but have one or two favourites.  The names of our favourites that immediately come to mind were Nerrie and Nellie.  In recent times Dobie and Waggy featured in the pictures above have been our favourites.


        I sometimes wonder if our dogs could tell the difference between my twin sister and me. Why?! It always seemed as if each dog preferred one twin over the other.  This is because the dog would be quick to greet and stay close to one twin more than the other.  They clearly knew that we were two individuals although we looked so much alike.


       During the short time that Janine was ill they never failed to rush in the room whenever they came into our house as if to see how she was doing. They even looked puzzled at times as they seemed to wonder why she wasn't up and about with me as usual!


      The strangest thing occurred the first morning after her death. She died just before noon on Thursday, October 16, 2008. I do not know if they saw when the undertakers removed her body. It is a situation that I could not deal with so I went into a room. Normally they would rush into the house every morning and be up and about wagging their tails and acting lively. Instead that morning they laid on the carpet and were unusually quiet.  Did they also realize that Janine was no longer with us?  We will never know but animals sometimes appear to know more than what we credit them for.


      I have been able to write several poems since Janine's death and I am sure if she was with me she would agree with every word in this poem:
          
        MY FAVOURITE PETS


Are you willing to take a bet
And guess which animal is my favourite pet?
I will gladly tell you that dogs are the best,
I have always preferred them over the rest.


They are ready and eager to protect us,
Willing to keep our company without a fuss.
They show such amazing intelligence,
Standing by our side with diligence.


They even seem to smile,
Wagging their tails for awhile.
No one should dare to intrude,
As any invasion changes a dog's mood.


My dog Dobie can pull a gate,
And does it at a quick rate.
He acts like a potential track star,
Seeming to favour hurdling by far.


Dogs are really smart,
And are dear to my heart.
Oh how I wish I still had four,
They are man's best friend for sure.

TREASURED COUNTRY LIFE MEMORIES

                                                                

     By Judy Haughton-James




       On November 4, 1961 my identical twin sister Janine and I arrived in the world at the Port Maria Hospital in the parish of St.Mary on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. A few days later we were taken on the 61/2 mile uphill journey to start life with the rest of our family on our farm in the cool hills of Boyne Park. This was the beginning of almost 47 years of glorious country life filled with bliss, peace and tranquility.


       Today as I reminisce on these years that ended on October 16, 2008, when my twin sister passed away, it is our interest in birdwatching that brings back some very special memories.  Living in an environment where there was a wide wide variety of trees and flowers  guaranteed regular visits by our feathered friends.  As a matter of fact even when we were not yet out of bed in the morning the chirping of birds heralded the break of dawn.  During spring time they became our handy 'alarm clock' as we knew that it was just after 5 a.m.
  
     Whenever we sat on our verandah we were not only caressed by a cool breeze but a breathtaking view of hills and mountains with the blue sky and Caribbean sea seeming to hug each other. In the midst of this our feathered friends appeared in a dazzling array of colours.  The top 3 for us were among those that would win any popularity contest among Jamaican bird lovers.  Taking top spot was our national bird the Jamaican Streamer Tail Hummingbird.  You would have no doubt as to how he received his national status.  He moves swiftly with his iridescent green plumage shining gold or electric blue in the brilliant sunshine of our 'Island in the sun.' Equally alluring are his 8" - 10" long black tail feathers.


    The Bananaquit and Jamaican Tody take the next 2 spots with the Bananaquit boasting black, white and yellow feathers while the Jamaican Tody's chubby body is blessed with vivid emerald green on the upper parts and an outstanding scarlet throat.


   There were many occasions when we didn't even have to see one of our country's handsome birds, The Jamaican Woodpecker, to know that he lurked in  our midst.  The tapping of a strong beak against a tree trunk had our eyes roaming as we attempted to glimpse him relishing his favourite dish of ants on a coconut tree.


    This love of birds took on greater proportions as we started collecting stamps, postcards, pictures, calendars and just about any item with a bird on it. However a huge display unit filled with figurines of birds from around the world now takes pride of place in our living-room.


    As I sit looking at this collection I see a special memorial to my twin.  What else can I do but shout "I am proud to be a country woman!" Only such an environment could have given me these treasured memories.