Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Gleaner Writer

KEANE-DAWES

Me dear mam:

Tiddeh August 10, me boonoonos fuss niece Kamikah birthday. A seventeen full year since me lef yard come a fareign wid me lilly bwoy, a suitcase a clothes, an 96 dallah weh me madda an fahda did fine gi me. After me life, as me did know it, did drop out upside dung like pudden outta dutch pot plam!

An a wouldn't tell yu a lie, when me consider now seh me son a twenty year of age. Get scholarship an gone bout him binnis a university wid de full knowledge fram me mout seh him suppose fe read him Bible an go dung pon him two knee cup. Me heart full when me memba de faithfulness a Massa God weh carry me through years a hardship a hunger, homelessness, an de-wah-kine-a crasses-dis come dung pon me.

For missis, between yu, me an de door post, who waan bex bex. Who waan please, please. But fe me God, weh shed Him blood fe me. Real. For day in day out, me heng on to:

"For I the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, "Fear not, I will help you." Isaiah 41:13.

de faithfulness of Jesus Christ

An now, missis, me can lif me right han an boast. Not bout nutten weh me do. But me can boast bout de faithfulness of Jesus Christ. The Son of the Living God. Who kip every promise Him mek to me. Suh after me madda call me pon me son birthday an seh what a way time fly das him tun twenty aready. Me fine meself a seh da prayaz ya:

"Dear Jesus, thank you that you are God Almighty. Thank you that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for your Word.

Dear Jesus, please keep me humble. No matter where I go in life, or what I accomplish, help me to remember always that I was born on a Monday evening in my auntie Sis' house in Little Lane in Central Village. Help me to remember that my parents were poor. My father was a cane cutter at Caymanas and my mother was a domestic servant. Help me to remember that they taught me about You and the values of life in patois-the only language they knew how to speak. Help me Jesus, that I will never be ashamed of them, their lack of formal education, or of my humble beginnings.

"Remind me, my Father, that when I stand before you in the last day, though they are many, I will not be judged by the number of degrees I have, the car I drive, or the length of my resume. I will be judged by my acceptance of Jesus Christ, my obedience to His commandments, and the way I treated others. Therefore, my God, remove all arrogance and pride from me so that the fruits of your Spirit-love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control-will be dominant in my life. This I pray in Jesus' Name, Amen."

independence celebration

Suh me dear mam, since me cyan fegat nor shame a weh me a come fram, a said way dis independence celebration a yard, me haffi reflect an thank de heap a freed slaves, me granparents generation, weh did build up free village inna place like Sandy Bay, Porus, Sligoville, an Kettering suh dem descendants coulda mek little life.

An das why, sake a how me loyal to me roots, yu woan ketch me a try figure out if me great-great uncle did hab blue yeye an come fram Scotland. For if me waan memba seh a straight a Africa everybaddy fe me come fram. All me haffi do a memba how much comb teet. In spite a de Vaseline. Did bruck off inna me head when mama used to plait me hair fe g'a White Marl All-Age School.

Tek care!

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes has been appointed Interim Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a constituent institution of the University of Maryland System. Send your email to: jkd876@yahoo.com.