The Feast of All Souls.

All Souls Day!!!!!(Fete le morts)( Feast of all souls) (Fet lay mor-E-Zee-Creole)

"Today, as well all know, it's the Feast of all Saints", said the priest, at the beginning of mass..reminding me of the day I once feared. And now i got flashes of what usually happened when I was a child, the day that followed this day was called" All souls day or the feast of all souls.

Up to this day I've asked myself why were we told such weird stories.

When I was a Kid, I dreaded this day (All Souls Day!!) well, according to our parents, this was the day that all the people who have died would come back into the homes of their family to have supper (a feast), how scary this one was for me, a child, could you imagine telling a child that dead people are coming for supper tonight?

Mon Dieu! Come first of November mwen zhaka twamblay, on the 2 of November during the day
mwen ka pwen cheer(tje), ok there was this little lamp that my mum used to make called a "Lampion as long as I saw that damn thing, I was frightened to death, first she made two sticks into a cross, and tied them with some kind of thread, at each end she would place a piece of cork taken from a wine bottle or some other bottle, she would get a bottle jar of some sort, pour a large amount of oil into it, sit the cross on the oil to float and light the end of the rope in the middle of the cross, and put it into her bedroom, it looked like a candle to me, but I dreaded even the sight of this thing.

I couldn't stand that day, I wanted it to come and just go! Go! go! but in my imagination, I couldn't bring myself to understand how the hell would dead people be coming home for supper. So I prepared for the day I dreaded.

Before the night came, I would go to my fathers house to ask him if he needed me to go to the shop, because I knew I didn't want to go to his home at anytime during the night, in case I bounce up with his dead wife going to his house for supper, I asked my uncle if he needed cigarettes, I did all I thought people would ask me to as early as possible so I wouldn't be out going on errands during the evening, much less the night. I knew that my elder siblings knew that I was afraid, because they would send me into the rooms to get stuff for them
deliberately, I would dash into the room in a flash and dash out and say that I didn't get whatever the sent me for, they would ask me to go again. Ou Kweer say moonanh tay oblizhay feer mwen sa.

When ever I got a chance I would go back to my thinking,"How can the dead people come home? How are they going to arrive? Are there wheels on their coffins? Are they coming by bus? Which bus is supposed to be taking them home? Billy Bee? Success? Honesty? Morning Star? I wondered. Are they walking all the way from Mon Repos on their feet? What if they
bounce up with someone, would they stop to talk or would they put them into their coffin and bury them. Why? why? do they have to come home for supper, could they just prepare everything by the lady living near the cemetery, and have all of them get together and have supper there and quickly get back into their coffins, disappear, and never return. Why not go to the church, maybe that's the thing they called they last supper, but why do they come back every year? My imagination was going wild, with all sorts of thoughts. I wonder if anyone every saw these dead people. I wondered if my mum and siblings wasn't as scared as I was,
they didn't seem so,why were they not scared, were they telling me the truth? Oh yes they were, because this little Lampion meant
something for sure.

I went to bed early on that day, I always had a belly ach or something, I would not stay up late to see this, Me! what if the people want me to go with them, or what if they insist I get into their coffins, and when they close that coffin, how will I breath, now if my mum is crying what will they do, will they kill my mum too, will they get upset and destroy the whole world, is that how the end of the world will come? Oh boy, I wished I had answers to all of my questions. I would lay on my bedding and think of all of these things, with my eyes closed, it was hard to fall asleep, but I knew I would eventually.

There were two plates on the table, One for Tony and one for Andrew, my two dead brothers, I didn't even know them, I would have loved to see them, they died before mama had me. I wonder if they knew they had a little sister, or more so if they knew my name, what if they did?
What if I heard them calling me in the night? Fear was all over me. I just didn't know what these people was capable of doing. I had lots of questions that I wanted to ask, but didn't want to know the answers,simply because the answers that my siblings gave me scared me even more.

Ok, so on All souls night, when I woke up to pee, I wouldn't dare open my eye, I would get up slowly,trembling with fear, search for the poe with my eyes closed, if my hand bounced on something before it got to the poe, my heart would leap out of my chest, the poe search would begin again, when I found the poe, I would try my best to keep that thing quiet, I wouldn't drag
the thing under me, with my eyes closed tightly I would lift the poe, put it down on a piece of bedding, a try to pee without disturbing these dead people that may even be in the living room at the time. I would listen for the chattering of forks and plates with my eyes closed tightly. I never heard anything, maybe they had not yet arrived or they were gone already, I didn't know and I would dare open my eyes to
to even peep.

Everyone else in the house was sleeping just like a normal day. How could they sleep like that when dead people were supposed to visit. I wonder if Mama didn't want to see her children, how could she not stay up or wake up to see them, maybe she just didn't care because they were dead, No, maybe they could not talk, Oh yes that's why, they couldn't talk to her,dead people don't talk... ummm...but dead people don't walk either, dead people can't eat.....what is going on...I am getting even more confused...why did they do this to us....why were we so naive...why can't we tell our kids stories like this now...ummm would they believe us? maybe not...not today, we might get to have our fun with some, but most of them would ask many interesting questions, maybe they would laugh at us.

Today our children probably don't even know that this day exist, and they probably don't know the meaning of "The Feast of all Saints" neither "The Feast of all Souls" Was Halloween ever Old School?

Let us remember our prayers, we don't necessarily have to scare our children to death on this day, but let us educate them on what exactly these days mean....so that they can know what strong meaning the beatitudes hold in their lives and how to respect the people who have passed...Let's respect the graves of our loved ones and that of others. Stop Standing on the Tombs at the cemetery at funerals. Can we? Yes we can.

Catholic Liturgy of the Hours All-Saints Prayer

Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God,
today we rejoice in the holy men and women
of every time and place.
May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
From Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours

Lithuanian All Souls Day Prayer

Dear souls of the dead,
you are still remembered by my family;
you are most worthy of our perpetual remembrance,
especially you, my grandparents, my parents,
also our relatives, children,
and everyone whom death
took away from our home.
I invite you to this annual feast.
We pray that this feast be agreeable to you,
just like the memory of you is to us. Amen.

THE EIGHT BEATITUDES OF JESUS

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10

The beatitudes can very often go unnoticed but they are very important for those who have made the decision to follow Christ. They should guide us, point us in the right direction, teach us, and show us the values that Jesus cares about. As we read them we should be looking at whether or not we are trying to follow them.

This blog is especially for you Jade! So you can know a little of how yesterday compares to today! I love you!

Thanks to the Man who thought I am indeed a "Strong Black woman!"

One reason why so many women are threatened by me, Yes!!! It's a "MAN" who thoughtI should read this e-mail, because that's exactly how he sees me! Now, don't be afraid my dear oppressors, hold on strong to the one you have because he may be the one who just passed me those sweet words, but you see, I'm not selfish, I'm still sharing it with you. Umm humm! You! Yes You!

Don't be afraid of me, I just downright beautiful, sexy, sweet, juicy, smart, jovial,weezib, and I know how to capture the hearts of many, but since no matter what I do, there'll still be people like you, I have decided to let you know, I'm not touched one bit by what you think you are doing!! There is alot more where that came from, I have always said that no one, especially You, can shut me up. I understand that ignorance can hardly be eliminated, because people like you, find time to fuel ignorance, but remember this, ignorance is limitted...you know why, because there are more people like "ME" in this world who will not let people like you think that your ugly behaviour, will be instilled into the minds of the future generation! I dare you! We need our time to ensure that there is peace and tranquility in this world, and even more so in our community.....and even if you are the number one oppressor, I know you will find yourself reading this, because I know that you are glued to me, you can't stay away from me , you see because you are so scared of me, you want to know, where I am, what I'm doing, how I'm doing, and most of all if you should be more insecure than you already are. Relax woman, men do not have time to come out here and oppress beauties like MOI, Nah...anh, anh!

Hey but listen, I know no matter where I am, I scare the living hell out of you!!! and come what may, I will be who I am!!!! I woman that you can't stay away from, a woman that, you can't resist reading what she writes and getting upset about it......or maybe, just maybe not about what I write or comment on so much, but about how you can't test me!!!!!lol.....and More so I'm SWEET....and I didn't just say so, I've been told time and time again!..lol..as a matter of fact, it's still ringing in my ears!!!

Now to my beautiful souls who have given me nothing but love and undivided attention.

I thank you for all the words of encouragement, and you know, the above is in no way directed at you. I don't even have to say that...you see because great minds think alike...no way will you think this....I appreciate the e-mails, e-cards, cheques, bank drafts,love letters, love notes, lace undies, shoes,diamonds, pearls,gold, silver etc that you all sent me.

Thanks a Million!!!!! Now read...What A Man thinks of Me....and my Girl-pals, they encourage me even more!!!!!!

Thanks JJ....it was very well recieved!!!!!!

Black Woman Cake...written by a Black Man
(It's a Great Message)

NEVER FORGET!

THERE WERE SPECIAL INGREDIENTS GOD USED IN MAKING A GOOD WOMAN.

Subject : BLACK WOMAN CAKE
I'm making a black woman cake cause I'm hungry as hell. And the sweet tooth I have only a sista can break the spell. Let me reach into my spice rack to see what I can get. To make a mix that will stick to my stomach you can bet.

2 cups of intelligence
1 cup of sugar brown
(Cause she's got to be sweet, mental, deep and sound)
Cinnamon is always good to accent the taste
A few cups of culture, so she's down for her race
(You see I won't bite into anything that's not conscious of its own, that's why I stick to chocolate and leave angel food alone)
I am adding butter cause she must be smooth
2 raisins for the dimples will also be cool
I must add eggs so she can reproduce
(Can't leave her hanging cause I like children too)
I think I'll add a little salt, to balance her out
And a dominant profile, to show she has clout
For a responsible woman, I'll throw in some yeast
(So she'll swell with juices, when I'm ready to feast)
I'll add 7 cups of courage and into the oven to bake
Turn it to 360 degrees, To balance out her mental state.

Now that it's done brothers, I won't share her wealth, but I'm sharing the recipe as I'm consuming this black woman all by myself.

Good Black Women are indeed all around us.
We pass them on the streets, in the malls, in captivity behind the walls, and in the hall at work. Most we can't see because we don't know what a good woman really looks like. She usually isn't flashy enough or rich enough to turn our heads. She might not wear a fur coat or push a Lexus. She might not have a 'body by Fisher' or a face for ' Ebony. ' But as you mature, you realize it's better to find someone who's got your back than someone who turns your head.

A Good Black Woman doesn't agree whole-heartedly with everything you say. She doesn't just tell you what you want to hear and do the opposite. She doesn't have to declare how sensitive, sweet, caring, sincere, yada, yada, yada, she is (she won't have to...because it shows). She has her own opinions, and you may clash, but she doesn't have to degrade you to prove she's right. She evens admits at times to being wrong, especially if you are willing to do the same.

A Good Black Woman is not going to meet every item on your checklist. She is human with frailties & faults mixed in with all of her wonderful, sensual attributes. She needs your love & respect. She needs to feel that you don't have to catch her doing something wrong so you can declare 'Aha I knew all along'

A Good Black Woman doesn't necessarily give you a huge Birthday or Valentine gift. She shows her love in the ways that are comfortable to her. Don't judge her by TV standards. No one is living that Fairy tale--for real.

BLACK WOMEN, we salute you, and thank you for whom you are, and all you've done.

Whitney Houston's On My Own.

I'm wiser now
I'm not the foolish girl you used to know
So long ago
I'm stronger now
I've learned from my mistakes which way to go
And I should know
I put myself aside to do it your way
But now I need to do it all alone

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'll keep it real you know
Time for me to do it on my own
Yeah yeah, mmm, yeah yeah

It's over now
I can't go back to living through your eyes
Too many lines
And if you don't know by now
I can't go back to being someone else
Not anymore
I never had a chance to do things my way
So now it's time for me to take control

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'm gonna keep it real you know
Time for me to do it

Oh I start again go back to one
I'm running things in my way
Can't stop me now, I've just begun
Don't even think about it
There ain't no way about it
I'm taking names, the ones of mine
Yes I'm gonna take my turn
It's time for me to finally stand alone, stand alone

I am not afraid to try it on my own
And I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'm gonna keep it real you know
It's time for me to do it
See I'm not afraid

Letters from Prince's and Princesses.

If you have been a victim of any sort of abuse and would like to write about it to alert others. You are free to do so on my blog. You can remain anonymous. You don't have to mention names, just address your letter to your abuser, remind him/her of what she/he did to you, and let everyone know how you feel presently and how it has affected you and if you have made any progress
since, and what if any did you do to get out of the darkness. You may begin like this:

Dear abuser,
You and continue using YOU to refer to him/her.

Cleaning House for 2009.

CLEANING HOUSE FOR 2009

Last Week I threw out worrying , it was getting old and in the way.

It kept me from being me; I couldn't do things God's way.

I threw out a book on MY PAST (Didn't have time to read it anyway).

Replaced it with NEW GOALS , started reading it today.

I threw out hate and bad memories , (Remember how I treasured them so)?

Got me a NEW PHILOSOPHY too, threw out the one from long ago.

Brought in some new books too, called I CAN, I WILL , and I MUST .

Threw out I MIGHT, I THINK and I ought . WOW , you should've seen the dust.

I ran across an OLD FRIEND , I hadn't talked to in a while.

His name is GOD the Father , and I really like His style.

He helped me to do some cleaning and added some things Himself .

Like PRAYER, HOPE, FAITH and LOVE ,
Yes... I placed them right on the shelf.

I picked up this special thing and placed it at the front door.

I FOUND IT - its called PEACE . Nothing gets me down anymore.

Yes, I've got my house looking nice. Looks good around the place.

For things like Worry and Trouble there just isn't any space.

It's good to do a little house cleaning,

Get rid of the things on the shelf.

It sure makes things brighter; maybe you should TRY IT YOURSELF.
BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE!!!!


May the Lord open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that
you will not have room enough to receive it all. Malachi 3:10.

May the Lord bless you exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever
hope for. Philippians 4:19.

---

Add maps and directions to your party Show them the way!

Fallacies of Foreign Lands

So hear that eh... I grew up knowing that I have brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts etc... in some foreign countries. My first impression was ' uh huh, if they are in other countries, they must be so happy and contented with life, They must be rich too enh.' My ignorance.

There were relatives that I did know, because they left for some other country before I was even born and never came back home...don't ask me why....I couldn't answer that at the time...some others visited very often, like every Christmas.

I didn't understand at first, I always wondered why some of my nieces, nephews, cousins etc.... had to be raised by other family members while their parents were in a foreign country, where there's everything you could possibly need. My ignorance again!

Well I didn't continue trying to understand enh, I just was looking forward to their visits in December, thinking of all the good stuff they brought home....candies, clothing, toys etc....


I never forgot how nice my uncles and aunts smelled when they arrived home...I wished I was smelling so sweet...I had to find myself in a foreign country someday to smell so sweet....Well at that time that's what I thought enh...that you could only smell sweet when you lived overseas...I didn't know it was hard for us at home to be able to purchase a nice purfume or body splash....


We mostly had one called 'Body Mist'... it would last for two seconds after it was applied to your body...and the remainder of the day...ooooppss.... excuse me!

I thought life for people overseas was like a bed of roses....that everything was cheap, that everyone was so happy and contented with life....and that everyone had great jobs, that paid a fortune...

I thought well..I have to find myself overseas one day enh....umm huumm...I want to have alot of nice things, I want to smell nice, I want to have alot of money, I want to have a good job and all the good life I thought that one is bound to have in a foreign country.

When I was better able to understand, while in high school, we had a discussion on migration, it's then that I understood why people had to leave their families...

This story caught my attention...the story of people leaving their families to go and cut sugarcane in another country, in order to be better able to take care of their families, and upon arriving, they realized that life was more than what they knew at home, as a matter of fact the pay was excellent for them, they ate well, theY got themselves some new relationships....Oh well, they decided not to return home.( MAWONH)

Most of the people who left home then were men....they got themselves some white woman, went on their merry way, and forgot about their families at home...
some of the more fortunate women, were treated well by their loved ones, they saved enough for their wives to join them.
Others were not so fortunate and was left at home to struggle with huge families at that time.

Some of the women at home left their families to meet an unknown man overseas at very young ages...
They were to travel for days on this ship that would finally deliver them into the arms of this unknown man, whom they had to automatically fall in love with and marry.

'Ummm huumm' I thought, 'Not me, I don't want to do this, I want to have a family and always be there for them....Through thick and thin.. as a matter of fact I will never leave my family!'.... I was so wrong...wrong! wrong! wrong!

Well it has not changed one bit, people were leaving St.Lucia for a better life overseas before I was born, and as you read this people are leaving St. Lucia for the same reasons..

But you see the better part is My story...

I said I wasn't going to let this happen to me, that I would always be there for my family...I was dreaming...maybe mostly because I didn't even have a family yet, and didn't know when I would at the time, and didn't know what responsibility was too. Well..huum.


I had to run like a mule to escape the economic blow that was ahead of me, when i did have my family and I was responsible for my home.

Now that I am in the same boat with the immigrants before me, I realize that it's definately not the bed of roses that I thought it was.
It's 'She works hard for the money!' It's so much more than just living life and loving it.

Living in a foreign country, away from your loved ones....doesn't always mean you are happy, that you won't be broke, that your rent is paid on time, that you don't go a day without food, that you can stay at a relatives house without paying for rent and food,(awa),that you can stay in your mama's house until you are 40-50 years old and have any number of kids in the house, and they too can start their families while living under the same roof...Sa pa vway! No way...18 years you're already on your own hunny! Goodbye...so long...dayday...ahlay bye!,that you can shout out your neighbour when you run short of oil, sugar, or a little bit of shampoo and conditioner as many times as possible and she'll give it to you all the time.

Life overseas...Huum..Something we all did to make life better for our families but something we have done with prayers and strong willpower.

Now before I close this part of my story, I would like to use this line I remembered from almost every letter that was sent home back in the days, from our loved ones, but I'd like to address this Letter to my country St. Lucia.

' I am writing this letter to let you know......' remember this line....Never forgot this line.


Our lovely island in the sun;
We are so sorry we had to run;
We pray each day that you believe;
The reason why we had to leave;
With teary eyes and empty hands;
And our heads so filled with plans;
St.Lucia how we long to come home to give;
Everything that we've achieved;
It breaks our hearts to have to stay;
But we love you every day;
Oh, how we wish for one last run;
Back to our island in the sun;

Dear St.Lucia

You gave birth to many sons and daughters. We all love you dearly, but I know you must have been wondering why,
all of a sudden, we pack our bags and migrate to foreign countries, with big old tears in our eyes, leaving our loved
ones behind, with fear and sadness in their eyes. Fearing that we may never get to see each other again.

We leave our children with unanswered questions. Small questions like ' Why mummy! Why Daddy! Why do you have to go?'
'Why can't we come too?' These small questions are so hard for us to answer, it tears our heart ot have to tell our children
that we can't afford to take care of them financially if we should stay in our country. We feel so guilty leaving them behind
knowing fully well that life for them can never be the same without us.

St. Lucia we are forced out of your stomach to migrate to foreign countries to seek a better life. Most of the times we do not even know what fate awaits us on the other end, but we are prepared to do anything to make life better for our families.

We are aware St.Lucia that you gave birth to brilliant minds, powerful children, capable of becoming outstanding leaders in
society. Most of your siblings have remarkable skills and so much more to offer but your high rate of unemployment and
inadequate wages sends your children running in all directions, looking for a safe haven.

As we seperate from our families, this has caused so many social problems in their lives. Our children are left behind with relatives,
while we struggle to make ends meet, they have many questions, we can't answer, they have report books that we can't sign,
they have parent teachers meetings, that we can't attend, they have games that we can't see, the have graduations that we sometimes can't even be at, funerals that we can't attend and so many more. We feel guilty, so very guilty, that we can never ever replace those years that we have missed out in the lives of our family and relatives.

Sadly we are away from our families, they on the other hand do not know what we have to go through to send a dollar home
because we keep our mouths shut while we go through the abuse, discrimination, and oppression that still exist in full force.
With tears in our eyes and God on our side, we go through each day.
We pray every day because we told our family that no matter what we had to do we would do it to take care of them.
Your children are very strong St.Lucia, they know how to fight the fight and win the battle. Your children fear God and they are filled with faith.

Everyone of us would love to be in your arms again, we would love to give you back what you gave to us. Unfortunately coming
back home is like moving a mountain to us, knowing fully well that we are a bit too much for you to handle economically.

St.Lucia you are blessed: with your own gentle warmth, with kind-hearted, warm and friendly, God fearing ,hard working people, with intelligent and creative minds to name a few.
Your rich cultural heritage, your magnificent rain forest are just a few of the things that makes you beautiful!


St. Lucia while we are away we have achieved so much, and we would like to come home to share our knowledge with our country and community, we pray for you every day and we do hope that one day we will come home to the paradise we long for.

ST. LUCIA WE PRAY: for our brothers and sisters who have turned to the streets, where a life of crime, prostutition and ponography greets them with open arms;

for our children, who become emotionally depressed trying to find some sort of employment after graduating from colleges and universities;

for the mentally and physically disabled persons who recieve only a small amount of $60.00 per person a so called assistance fund from our government;

for our senior citizens who suffer and die because they are unable to pay for a medical visit or medication;

for the single parents who have to leave the families behind while trying to make a living for them in another country;

for the parents who have left their families behind and have never returned because it didn't work out the way they thought it would and now they're filled with shame and grief;

that poverty be completely eliminated in our country;

for our teachers who have to deal with a class full of pupils every day, each different in their own unique way;

for our men and women in uniform, that they be given all due respect;

and finally we pray for the Government, that they may once and for all share ideas together and stand together as one body to deal with the problems that you (our country) are now facing, and give you back that Simply Beautiful smile that was once yours. We ask this in Jesus' name. Lord hear us.

We pray now for ourselves: that we may never burn the bridges that we crossed;
that we look out for each other the best way possible;
and that we bring home to our island more love, richness, intelligence, smartness,blessings and much more
when we finally make it back home, because;

St.Lucia we are all taking advantage of the opportunities we have while we are away, we are looking forward to serving our country
and our community in the furure, We are capable of doing fine at home we just need the finances and resources.

We are longing to come home, we long to reunite with our families...

We may sail on many a seas, your shores will always be home to us...

Your loving daughter,
Phillys Wilson

Introduction

Hello everyone, I am Phillys Wilson from the Mon-Repos community. 
 
The daughter of Anita Wilson and Welson Charlery of Patience, Mon-Repos.
 
I am the mother of three beautiful children. Jeraine Gustave in Miami,
 
Darre and Jade Wilson of Patience Mon Repos.  My purpose for blogging
 
is to express my feelings towards my surroundings, to share knowledge and
 
experiences with others and to see if together we can make a change to the
 
environment, community, country and the conditions we are living in presently. 
 
 I think if we share positive ideas, and apply ourselves, together we can build
 
a better community and Country.