DATE: 05/09/2008 10:15:59 / MOOD: full of life

So amazing how this world was made,
I wonder if God is a women.
The gift of life astounds me to this day,
I give it up for the woman.
She's the constant wind that fills my sails,
Oh, that woman.
With a smile and a style,
She'll protect you like a child,
that's a woman.

Chorus:
She'll put a smile upon your face,
and take you to that higher place,
So don't you underestimate,
the strength of a woman.
The strength of a woman.

Woke up this morning,
got up with the scent of a woman.
So picture if you would what life would be,
... ain't much good without a woman.

She can nag and be a constant pain,
oh, that woman.
But those hips,
she's got me whipped,
And it's just too hard to resist,
what a woman.

Chorus:
She'll put a smile upon your face,
and take you to a higher place,
So don't you underestimate,
the strength of a woman.
The strength of a woman.

Tender lips that's so so sweet,
Gentle words she softly speaks,
Such an angel when we meet,
God bless the ground beneath her feet,
She can take you on a high,
be your comfort when you cry,
But if you look into her eyes you'll see,
The strength of a woman.
The strength of a woman

Chorus:
She'll put a smile upon your face,
and take you to a higher place,
So don't you underestimate,
the strength of a woman.
The strength of a woman.

This song is so "deep" done by one of our own Jamaican artist " SHAGGY" one of the few reggae artists around the world, who takes the  time to recongize and to respect "THE STRENGTH OF  A WOMAN".

 

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DATE: 05/09/2008 10:00:21 / MOOD: happy

Mothers are special people God knew that from the start That's why he created them in His own image and to them gave the biggest heart.

She's able to heal our hurts with only a kiss and hug
She's able to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is never slow as a slug.

Mothers are special people
God knew they'd always be
He created them to do so much that involves you and me.
She has to be a teacher to teach us what we need to know
She has to be a taxi driver to get us where we need to go.
Mothers are special people
God knew His work was complete
When He created someone that could do SOOO much on her own two feet.

She is a Christian on Him she depends
She displays the fruit of the Spirit and a helping hand she is willing to lend.
Mothers are special people
God tells me so each day
For if it weren't for Him I wouldn't be one today.

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DATE: 05/09/2008 09:23:43 / MOOD: full of life

The majority of countries that celebrate Mother’s Day do so on the second Sunday of May. On this day, it is common for Mothers to be lavished with presents and special attention from their families, friends and loved ones. But it hasn’t always been this way.

The Mothers Day was first proclaimed in 1870 in the United States. And it was Julia Ward Howe who proclaimed the same in Boston.

This Mother's Day service became a regular celebration that developed as she, and others, began successfully campaigning to ministers, businessmen and politicians to make it a national holiday.

Slowly and gradually the Mother's day became very popular and gift giving activity increased. All this commercialization of the Mother's day infuriated Anna as she believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit.

Julia Ward Howe in 1872 and Anna Jarvis in 1907 were the best known pioneers who took up the cause of Mother's Day and it was first observed in Philadelphia in 1907. However America only picked it up as the day to honor motherhood at the national level in 1914, setting its date on the second Sunday of May every year. President of America proclaimed it to be a holiday. There are celebrations in the families and the churches in the honor of mothers and grandmothers on this day.

Today Mothers Day is celebrated in several countries including US, UK, India, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Canada, China, Japan and Belgium. People take the day as an opportunity to pay tribute to their mothers and thank them for all their love and support. The day has become hugely popular and in several countries phone lines witness maximum traffic. There is also a tradition of gifting flowers, cards and others gift to mothers on the Mothers Day.

There is an interesting tradition related to Mother's Day celebration, which calls for the wearing of carnations on this day.

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DATE: 05/07/2008 11:04:55 / MOOD: don't know

TO THOSE WHO ARE IN MOURNING AT THIS TIME!

My sisters and brothers of janadians words cannot express my feelings of sadness and distraught to you at this time.

However; let us not let the devil get the better of us,  remember the story of "Job" we too can overcome this,  the devil strives when  we are  feeling down and miserable as we do now so let us not give him that satisfaction to do so.

My sisters and brothers, my janadians family, WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!.

I pray at this time that you and the family who are dealing with so much pain  will remember that "God" is still in controll and that his hand is  leading still,

I pray that he will draw close to you and cover you under his blood and breathe upon you his Holy Spirit.

Remember how he spoke to us through "MOSES" saying "I AM THAT I AM". he has not and will never changed, he belives in us, even when we don't belive in him.  He loves us even, when we don't love him!

New each morning are his mercies and his blessings, I pray that he will continue to wrap you in the warmth of  his bossom so that you will find peace, comfort and strength in this time of sadness, pain and confussion and  for the  days ahead.

especially for:  stone love, uklady, Teresa and fisherman

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DATE: 04/10/2008 09:57:14 / MOOD: happy

Cedella Booker, mother of pop icon Bob Marley and matriarch of reggae's most famous family, died at her Miami home on Tuesday evening. She was 81 years old.

Jerome Hamilton, a spokesperson for the Marleys, told The Gleaner that Booker passed away in her sleep. No cause of death has been given.

Booker was a popular figure in the South Florida area she called home for more than 30 years. Since 1993 she was integrally involved in promotion of the annual Bob Marley Movement Festival there, which raised funds to buy food for the indigent.

The live show attracted major stars including Carlos Santana and Wyclef Jean.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding paid tribute to Booker, saying she was a star in her own right. "Her life was one of hardship, struggle and fulfilment and through it all she exuded hope, strength and confidence."

Information Minister Olivia Grange described Booker as a 'true heroine'.

Booker, who is survived by two of her four children, last visited Jamaica in February for the annual celebrations marking Bob Marley's birthday. A thanksgiving service for her life will be held in Miami on Sunday, a statement from the Marley family said.

Cedella Malcolm was born in Rhoden Hall, St Ann. At 18, she gave birth to her first child Robert Nesta Marley; his father was Norval Marley, an Englishman 35 years her senior.

Shortly after Norval Marley died in 1955, Cedella moved with Bob to Kingston. She lived in Trench Town, then an expansive slum bursting with musical talent.

Marley achieved relative success with The Wailers group in the early 1960s. During that period, Booker married an American and immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s, settling in Delaware.

After Marley's death from cancer in May 1981, Booker launched her own musical career, recording two albums: Awake Zion and Smilin' Island of Song.

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DATE: 04/10/2008 09:52:49 / MOOD: happy

She looks like the typical Jamaican grandmother with her head wrapped, a bright smile and a pleasant, but firm, voice. She's the late reggae star Bob Marley's mother, and as his fans worldwide celebrated the 63rd anniversary of his birth on February 6, Mama Marley, as she likes to be called, spent a while reflecting at the home in which she gave birth to the reggae icon, early one Tuesday morning, more than half a century ago.

Giving thanks

"Him born before day, you know. Two o' clock in the morning. Every year since his passing, I wake up at that time on his birthday. I just sit up in bed and read my Bible and give thanks to Rastafari for the blessing that I get on that day," she said, a glimmer in her eyes.

She struggled to raise her voice above the sound of a live band playing Marley's songs just outside. Hundreds of people were moving around, snapping pictures and gyrating to the music, at the place that has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of St Ann.

"Boy, we have a big crowd today, even though it big every day," Mama Marley said with a chuckle.

"It give me good feeling in my heart to see these people come here from all over the world. Bob did a lot for them, you know. He was a great man in their lives, so they come now, especially on his birthday, to show their love for him."

Outside, the line to enter Marley's mausoleum, which is on a hill behind the house, twists and turns for more than 30 feet.

Mama Marley's bosom bounces up and down as she chuckles. "Bob must be smiling when him see the crowd of people that love him," she said.

Direction of her life

Sixty-three years ago when 18-year-old Cedella Malcolm discovered she was pregnant, she knew her life was about to change forever. The Christian daughter of one of the most respected men in Nine Miles at the time, Cedella worried about the direction her life was about to take. She, however, says that the second the 6¹/2 lb baby boy came into the world, she knew he was going to be something special.

"Of course, I didn't know he was going to be a reggae king, but I knew he was a king from birth. It was a great moment, you know. I remember it clearly. I will never forget it. No mother will forget the birth of any of their children. It is the best time of their lives," she said.

Mama Marley can hardly show her face outside without being mobbed by fans of her son. Their eagerness to meet her can at times be overwhelming. One employee at the mausoleum told me that he has to stand guard near the house because if word was to get out that Mama Marley was inside, all hell would break loose.

"I don't mind though, you know. Bob deserves it, so it is very nice," she said.

Even as the world celebrated the icon's birthday, Mama Marley was reflective. "I just have to look at it and say that I am thankful that he is with his Father. I know he is. He is in a better place and somewhere watching what is going on. When I die I will be with him again," she said with a smile.

"But, you know, I don't get down at all. Bob tell me to forget my sorrows and dance. Forget even sickness and dance. Every little thing is going to be alright," she laughed.

Her favourite Bob Marley song is No Woman No Cry which, she says, gives her strength during difficult times.

"When I listen to that, it just lifts me up and make me feel good inside. There is a power to that song. I love all of his songs, but that one is special to me," said Mama Marley.

Hearty laugh

She's all of 81 years old now, but you'd never know it. Her laugh is hearty and her voice is strong. So strong, in fact, that she's thinking of recording another album. Yes, she dabbles in music too, and has released two albums, Awake Zion and Smilin' Island of Song. She's also starting a hot sauce business. In fact, she makes the hot sauce from peppers grown on her own farm in St Ann and boils and bottles the product right there in the kitchen of her now famous home.

When she's not in Jamaica, she's at her home in Florida which she says is nice, but lacks the natural mystic that blows through the air at home in rural St Ann.

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DATE: 03/31/2008 09:10:08 / MOOD: happy

The parade, which began at East Kings House Road, St Andrew, started with strong afternoon showers, but that did not keep the revellers or spectators from coming out to play 'mas' yesterday.

Led by Tivoli Marching Band, the parade was truly a mixture of true Jamaican culture. Revellers from the Supreme Ventures, Digicel, THE STAR, CVM TV, RJR Radio, Tastee, Air Jamaica and Jamaica Carnival danced away as if they had no care in the world .

Even the break when they had to turn off the music as they passed the Andrew's Memorial Hospital on Hope Road, St Andrew, did not break the spirit of the revellers. Many of them sang Allison Hinds, Roll It Gal as the soaking wet masqueraders wined behind the Big Trucks.

Easy targets

Security guards, police officers and media broadcaster were easy targets for revellers who ran to Back It Up on them. Some were receptive, others however chased away the 'unruly' set.

After a half hour break on Constant Spring Road, the rains had stopped and with the burst of sunshine peeping through the clouds, revellers broke loose again. One woman did not think the road was enough for her, as she wined on the bonnet of a police Suzuki Vitara and then climbed in through the window to wine some more with the driver and his passenger.

In Half-Way Tree the Byron Lee truck, complete with live music, pulled a large gathering as Jumo and the Dragonaires sang soca and dancehall tunes.

As the parade meandered down Half-Way Tree Road, security personnel had a hard time containing revellers and spectators who ran all over the place gallivanting and dancing.

Three guys dressed as old men who joined in the parade proved that their old age was only in looks as they wined with the female revellers who gladly obliged.

The sea of red, yellow, green and blue, which make its way through the streets of Kingston to the National Stadium car park for the Last Hurrah gyrated and moved to the sounds of dancehall and soca. Song like Busy Signal's, Pan Di Edge, Vybz Katel's Wine Pan You and various Mavado and Munga Honourable selections, were big hits with the crowd.

Mixed music

However, these tunes were mixed in among many soca selections to allow the crowd time to catch their breath and dance to some local music.

Spectators were just as interesting as the masqueraders. One woman on Oxford Road used the creative tactic of tying a leash around the waist of her child while he showed his skills to the public. Some who were either coming from church or a funeral, were not sad at all as they kicked off their heels and wined with passing revellers.

As the parade moved down Arthur Wint Drive, the revellers again digged deep and found a burst of energy as they showed the many waiting fans that they were happy to play 'mas'.

As the trucks ground to a halt in the stadium car park, the revellers and spectators were still moving showing that they were ready for the last lap.

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DATE: 03/19/2008 11:24:50 / MOOD: happy

May this Easter begins with a gentle ray of hope,

Be filled with moments of love,

And end with a soft note of peace.

 

 

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DATE: 03/03/2008 10:22:05 / MOOD: happy

 

What you are is God's gift to you.

What you make of yourself, is your gift to God!

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