Four Generations Will Gather

By the time you read this, I will be in Florida!

Mom turned 80 on May 21st and we are gathering the family for a reunion celebration. The last time we did this was for her 75th EarthStrong. Since that last big get-together, we have welcomed Ethan into the family and mourned the loss of Candace.

As there will be four generations of us and no one's home is large enough to hold us all, we rented a massive beach house in St Augustine, Florida for a week. My sisters and neice have done an amazing job of coordinating school, work and vacation schedules, conference calls and e-mails; all of which were kept secret from Mom until her actual EarthStrong. We told her about it on a family conference call. It was self-defense! We had to make sure she wasn't making other travel plans. (My pet name for her is "Miss Never-Stay-At-Home"!)

Thank you, Jah, for the blessing of a wise and Godly woman as my Mother. Thank you for my two brothers and my three sisters. Thank you, Jah, for my children and my grandchildren and my neices and nephews and my aunts and uncles. Thank you for our bonds of blood and family lineage. Thank you for letting me know where I come from, so I can help our coming generations find their paths into the future!

A Peaceful Visit

My visit with my dear Sistah-friend, FBMB, was a balm for my soul. I hadn’t seen her in donkey years and we picked up our relationship like it was last week! While I was focused on wrapping up my career and moving to Jamaica, she transferred to Denver, Colorado, USA to co-ordinate a national volunteer program and we lost contact.

Last May I got an e-mail on an old e-mail address that I haven’t used in years; since C&WJ admitted they couldn’t repair the phone line at the house. When I realized I would have to make other arrangements for e-mail, I sent out the generic “Use my new e-mail address” and pretty much forgot about it. I stopped checking the old inbox.

One morning I got a strong urge to check the old inbox. Try as I might, I couldn’t ignore the ning-ning-ninging in the back of my head. I am glad I followed my mind, because, in addition to all the junk, there was an e-mail from FBMB, letting me know she was back in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She was checking to see if that was still my e-mail address. For the past year we have e-mailed, texted and talked to bring us up to date on each other’s lives.

When the timing was right, we made arrangements for her to come down for a visit. I, of course, had a long list of places I wanted to take her. The morning she boarded the flight, her husband called to say the one thing she needed from this vacation was plenty of rest.

So, OK, Lady Roots, put away the tour guide plans. Your friend needs rest, not running around the south coast. Other than one trip to Mandeville and one therapy session, we only took her to Jack Sprat and to YS Falls. The Black River Safari, MarBlue, Font Hill Beach, Lil Ochi and Accompong will be on the agenda when she returns with her husband.

FBMB was the woman whom I most admired in my corporate life. Once, when another manager said that there was no room for God in the boardroom, her response was, “If there is no room for God, there’s no room for me.” At that moment, I knew she was a woman I wanted to work for. Thank you, Jah, for the love and friendship of this wonderful woman.

I Am Doing The Happy Dance

Probably not a pretty site to anyone but my husband! Me, doing the Happy Dance on crutches!

I am on my way to MoBay to pick up a wonderful Sistren from Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She will be with us for a week and I plan to show her the best of St. Bess. I won't post while she's here, probably won't have time to reply to shared thoughts and may not even get to my e-mail. But you will all be in my heart and in my prayers as I full-joy the blessing of her being here with us.

She is an amazing, incredible, delightful woman I was blessed to meet during my former corporate life in America. Her compassion saved my sanity more than once. If she gives permission, I will post a blog about our visit once she leaves.

So, while I am off-line, if an occassion arises and you need to do the Happy Dance, here are the instructions. Feel free to improvise as the music in your heart moves you.

Hello, Mr Schwinn, I Missed You

I have achieved another of my recovery goals! At 5:30am I hobbled down to the gym on my crutches and worked out for the first time since my tumble-down last November. The gym is located downstairs, below the living area of our home.

Granted it wasn't even a pale shadow of the workout routine I was doing before, but I did break a sweat and IT FELT GOOD! I did a fifteen minute ride on the recumbent bike, some strength training with resistance bands and then another ten minute ride. Except for the water bottle attachment, this is what my Schwinn recumbent bike looks like.

Once my balance gets better, I will attempt the treadmill and the NordicTrack cross country ski machine. Thank you, Jah, for the gift of recovery. I am getting stronger every day!

Flat Spiral

Having made four netted pearls sets for Nurse M, I was not looking forward to beginning the fifth. I needed to do something with a different stitch before starting the next netted pearl set.

Thanks to the generosity of Sistren Pearl, a tutorial on her blog, Beading Gem's Journal, helped me to learn the flat spiral stitch. I didn't have enough bicone beads to complete a bracelet, so I used 3mm and 6mm faux pearls with opaque black seed beads. The toggle is a peyote tube embellished with faux pearls.
We can now colour the Sav project done! We went back on Wednesday so I could complete the staff training. The owner flew in from America, but didn't participate in the training session. Since she brought a manager's cheque for the full balance due, I'm happy!

We did go back to MarBlue for our date last Sunday. He had the grilled snapper and I chose the grilled mahi mahi. We both had organic salads and steamed vegetables. Good thing there wasn't anything chocolate on the menu, or I would have succumbed to the temptation. Again, a delightful evening with my husband and a delicious meal in a beautiful setting. Thank you, Jah, for allowing us to full-joy the bounty of your magnificent creation.

Where Things Stand

The Sav project could be wrapped up in just one more visit. I'm waiting for authorization from the American-based owner, because I need to make sure I will get a cheque for the outstanding balance before I leave. I have another client in Sav who needs some minor customization work done and I'll be able to take care of both in one trip.

The physical therapist is on vacation for the month of April, so I am doing the exercises at home. When she left I was still relying heavily on the wheelchair and just learning to hobble about unsteadily with crutches. Now, I am getting pretty good at getting around on the crutches. Only something that takes a long time, like grocery shopping, still requires the wheelchair. I am working on rebuilding my stamina.

I still have one more set of netted faux pearls to complete for Nurse M. This will be the fifth set she has ordered. I probably won't post a picture, because the only difference in this last set will be the colour of the cross bead in the netting. The main colour will be an opaque black seed bead and the cross bead will be a silver-lined crystal seed bead. I am glad she is a repeat, satisfied customer, but I wish she was interested in something other than netted pearls.

On a happier note, I am glad to let you know I have driven to Mandeville twice this week. My husband went with me both times to ensure all went well. He has gotten even more protective since my fall. I thank Jah for a husband who looks out for my safety.

He looks out for my romantic needs as well. He has asked me on date for Sunday evening. I hope we go back to MarBlue! This time I am ordering the roasted snapper and steamed veggies. Dating my husband is good for my heart.

He Is Not Here!

Mi Soon Come!

There probably won't be any new posts until I finish a project in Sav. (Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland) I start this week installing a point of sale/inventory management system for a retail electronics store. Once the installation and system setup is finished, staff training starts. Hopefully the project will be finished in two weeks.


It is about a two and a half hour drive from home to Sav. If you right click the image and open it in a new window you can see the route. We live about 15 minutes from Junction (in the lower right corner of the map). Follow the orange line from Junction, thru Top Hill, Southfield, Pedro Cross, Newell, Watchwell, Williamsfield, Pondside, Fullerswood, Black River, Hodges, Crawford, Scott's Cove, Whitehouse, Culloden, Auchindown, Belmont, Bluefields, Ferris Cross, Dunbar's Corner and finally into Sav.

Normally, I would go alone, do the work and return home. No problem! Now, my husband has to drive me there, wait while I do the work and then drive me home. Not fun for him! I will be so glad when I can drive again. I have been driving around in the back yard, but am not sure I can manage the challenging Jamaican road conditions alone just yet. Especially since I am still on crutches! Thank you, Jah, for a husband who will help me when I need his help.

Until I return, please pray for our safety as we travel back and forth between home and Sav over the next few weeks. Nuh vex tru mi nuh get unnu comments posted quik-quik. Mi soon come! (Don't be upset if I am tardy getting your comments posted. I will soon be back!)

Our First Date

Those of you who have been with me on the recovery road know that I have been celebrating a series of firsts.

Sunday we went on our first date. (No, the evening at Taino Cove was an outing for Mom, not a date!) After so many years together it is important to me that he still court me, woo me, date me, and romance me. OK, call it feminine ego if you must, but it is important to me!

We went to MarBlue in Calabash Bay, Treasure Beach for drinks and dinner.



Now to appreciate what a gift this was to me, you would have to understand my husband's reluctance to try new places to eat. You would think a man who owned a restaurant for so many years would be more adventurous in his dining, but he latches on to a place and we go there over and over and over again. To me, no matter how great the place, if you go too often, it looses it's appeal.

Well, it seems our favorite haunts are not wheelchair/walker accessable. So, this was my chance. I called MarBlue and spoke with Andrea, who with her husband, Axel own and operate the award-winning boutique resort.

After being assured that access would not be a problem, I made dinner reservations. I enjoy eating good food, but am by no means a foodie. All I can tell you is that I understand the many awards they have won! Delicious food, attentive service (without being smothering or cloying), romantic ambiance, soothing ocean view and gracious hosts make MarBlue a wonderful place for a first date with a man you have loved for 29 years!

Thanks, Andrea and Axel, for a lovely evening and a delicious meal. Nuff RAS-pect to Weston, also.

Thank you, Jah, for the gift of a husband who knows what is important to me!

Small Victories

Since breaking my ankle in November, I have had to swallow my pride along with my independence and rely on others to do things for me that I used to do for myself. It has been humbling in the extreme.

I have grimaced, winced, sung and prayed my way thru my therapy sessions to regain my range of motion, endurance, strength and balance. I need to get back up on my feet again!

I am giving thanks for small victories.

This has been a week of “firsts” for me. First unassisted shower. First time I could make up the bed in the morning. First time I could wash my own clothes. First time I could brew a pot of coffee for our morning coffee time.

Granted, each endeavor left me weak, sweaty, and trembling. But I am doing what I couldn’t do last week.

Thank you, Jah, for the gift of healing you are giving me each day.

My First Beaded Piece

This is the first beaded piece I ever completed. It is a peyote stitch amulet bag done in silver-lined clear and gold size 6 beads with size 10 gold seed bead embellishments. The King Tut charm is a gold-toned metal. The pyramid is off-centered, because I hadn't yet learned the importance of using odd-count peyote to center a design.


In this piece I can see all the mistakes a self-taught, new beader would make. When I place it by a newly beaded piece, I can also see my growth as a beader, if only in mastering certain stitches.

When I first started beading, I didn't finish anything. I would begin a project, brimming with enthusiasm! Then reality, tangled threads, lack of experience, frustration, and life would intrude. I would cut the piece up, pull out fragments of Nymo or Silamide from the beads, rebag the beads, awaiting my next foray into beading frustration. Remember, back then we didn't have a loving, supportive internet beading community I could turn to for help.

I am so thankful that I didn't let the rough start turn me away from beading. It has been such a blessing to me over these past few years.

Inspired By Sistren Bev

I was inspired by Sistren Bev Carlson of Bev’s Jewelry to learn kumihimo, the art of braiding multiple cords to create a stronger, more decorative cording.

The kumihimo tutorials I googled were videos. Since I connect to the internet via a web-enabled cell phone that provides a blazing dial up connection speed of 28.8 kbps, it takes 6-7 hours to download a 4 minute video. Sistren Bev understood my plight and e-mailed a link to a kumihimo diagram tutorial.

I made a disk from cardboard for my trial attempts. I used new shoe laces for the cording material. The resulting cord is thick and I will use it as a luggage ID tie. For my next kumihimo project I bought embroidery thread, which will result in a narrower cord.

Thank you, Sistren Bev, for the link, for the inspiration and for the encouragement!

Why We Celebrate Christmas

Please don't let the hustle and bustle of shopping, eating, gift-giving, traveling, drinking and partying make you forget the reason we celebrate Christmas. It is the celebration of the birth of our crucified and resurrected Saviour, Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to Jah for the gift of Jesus' blameless life!

I am lifting each of you in prayer, asking Jah to open your eyes to the truth of our world. May 2009 find you inspired to uplift yourself, your family, your community and our world.

Blessed Love to anyone who has stopped by for a holiday visit. Please stop by again soon.

Bountiful Basket

While recovering, I find myself struggling to remain in a positive frame of mind.

If not careful, while confined to the wheelchair, I tend to create lists of "what I can't do" or "what I miss". (showers, swimming in the ocean, dancing, standing face-to-face with my husband, working out with him in our gym, driving, walking from room to room in the house, I could go on and on)

Instead of whining, I am going to say Thank You, Jah, for bountiful blessings. We had the JA$750,000 required for the surgery and post-op care. I was lead to a doctor who sucessfully reconstructed my ankle. I am healing without major complications. I have received cards, calls, prayers, white light healing love, visits, e-mails and this bountiful basket of tangerines to remind me how very loved I am.

My husband has been magnificent thru this entire challenge. Not only has he cared for me in every way, but has done it with an amazing spirit of love. No bad face, no rolling of the eyes, no teet' kissin', not a sign of reluctance or repulsion. Once again, he's proven himself to be a KEEPER.

As I trod this path of recovery, let me remember to give I-tinual thanks to Jah, who blesses me in such abundance and who walks by my side.

Friends of Jamaica

The hummingbird graphic in the left column was painted by my dear friend, Leslie.

She is a long-time friend of Jamaica and has touched the lives of many Jamaicans firsthand. On her blog, Flowers of Life, she has asked her readers to put this fund raising graphic on their blogs for the next few weeks.

For you, Sistren Leslie, and all you do to increase the goodness in our I-niverse, I give thanks.

One Week Post-Op

Jah is good to me. He has brought me thru another trial, standing by my side and holding my hand in His.

Surgery was last Tuesday and it was just a bit more extreme than expected.

I ended up with ten screws in my ankle instead of the 7 to 8 they had originally anticipated. If you look at the diagram you will see what I was told would be done.

In addition to the screws you see there, they added a second cancellous screw and then had to place a stabalizing screw that went from the front to the back of my ankle.

I have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to check the multiple incision sites for inflammation before they put on a fiberglass cast that will be on for 5-6 weeks.

I still feel weak after only an hour or so, but I think it may be due to the painkillers I have been taking. Getting my strength and stamina back is a high priority for me now.

Thank you seems so inadequate for all the love, prayers, e-mails, and calls I have gotten from you. Each of you, in your own way, has helped me during this challenge. I will be forever grateful for each of you.

This Is What They Will Do

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE OF SURGICAL PROCEDURE BELOW! DON'T SCROLL DOWN IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE TRAUMATIZED BY THE IMAGE.

So, this is what I will be doing on Tuesday.

First, they will be making an incision on the outside of of my ankle. They will insert a plate with 7-8 stabalizing screws thru the incision. Second, they will make another incision on the inside of my ankle and insert two (or more) cancellous screws into the bone.





I want to thank all of you who have shared comments, lifted me in prayer, sent emails and called to wish me well. Your prayers and positive energies will send healing out into the I-niverse to heal me and untold others.

Thank you, Jah, for your abundant blessings and the prayer warriors You have gathered on my behalf.

Crutches or a Wheelchair, Miss?

Those were the options offered to me at Hargreaves Hospital.

I slipped and fell, breaking my right ankle in three places. The closest hospital is over an hour away via rough, pothole-riddled roads. I think I only screamed out loud two or three times.

Glad to say I am no longer in agony, thanks to multiple injections and pain pills. The unavoidable surgery to put two metal plates and 7-8 screws in my ankle is scheduled for next Tuesday.

This is going to put a real crimp in my plans. I had a private jewelry show scheduled for the employees of JMMB (Jamaica Money Market Brokers), an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner in Mandeville at the home of a lovely woman who knows how to entertain and has the resources to do it well, a visit from Kingston by two of my Loyal Readers, and all the holiday sessions that our sound system has booked.

The outside world is going to have to I-tinue to spin without Lady Roots for a while. Doc said at least 6 months before I can expect normal mobility.

I am giving Thanks to Jah that it was my right ankle and not my right wrist. I don't want to imagine 6 months without beading!

Same Stitch, Different Beads

These bracelets show the impact of using different types and sizes of beads with the same stitch.
Angled brick stitch was used for both pieces. The smaller one was beaded with delica beads in a matte finish. The clasp is two snaps that are hidden in the design when worn. The larger one was beaded with size 8 seed beads in an opaque finish. The toggle clasp is a beaded bead.

I got a commission for a choker to match the seed bead bracelet. But since it is for a man, I will need to design a more masculine clasp.

Thank you, Jah, for giving me the gift of beading. I pray for the wearers of my jewelry, even tho I don't always know in advance who they may be. If it is a custom order, I raise their name in prayers as I bead their piece. I want the love and soul joy I feel while beading to be felt when my creations are worn.

Yes, We Can! Yes, He Did!

Thank you, Jah, for answered prayers. Guide and protect Idren Barack as he strives to uplift America and the world. Come together, Prayer Warriors, and let us lift him in prayer.