Harvest or Thanksgiving

I am thinking of fancy frocks; crinoline underneath, sash, flower details, floral accents, ribbons in little girls hair, iron combs, girls in their pre-teen years. My mind is thinking of getting ready for harvest Sunday way back then in November.

To me Harvest Festival is one of those special occasions that everything that we wore to church was new. The members of the church brought out their best fruits and ground provisions (sugarcane, bananas, yams, potatoes, oranges, carrots, papaya, dasheen, yams, cassava), to adorn the church from the door to the altar or every corner of the church. We would anxiously wait to go back to church in the afternoon for concert where we would recite our memorized poems about harvest.I recall the instruments would play and the congregation filled the space with spectacular harmony. All were well dressed, well-fed, young, old and everything in between. There was a mysterious expression of awe as all reflected joy and willingness to do our best and give our best. There was an atmosphere of competition with a flare of merriment. We got some of our best cooked meals on harvest Sunday. The food was then sold on Monday morning to raise funds for the church.

In the Bahamas and in other cultures now food is distributed among the poor and senior citizens. Harvest is still with us and whether we call it Harvest or Thanksgiving we should always cherish the memories of this time, but more importantly give God thanks for all he has given and provided for us, not only in material possessions but also in people and experiences.

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The Grace of Interruption

It is the end of Easter holiday, thousands of Bahamians and Bahamians residents are returning relaxed and enthused from spending their holiday abroad and in particular the family of Islands. The domestic airport attendants are very busy. The conveyor belts are working overtime with suitcases, ice boxes of fish and conch harvested from the waters of The Bahamas. The long term parking lots revenue has sky rocketed. There are flashes of million dollar smiles from passersby. The hot cross buns have all been eaten, the mini regattas wined down. Some have spent time in reflective moments on endless spaces of white sandy beaches. Others strolled onto shallow banks of the oceans for miles while some enjoyed beach picnics of fun and frolic. For many children the Easter baskets had their favorite treats. Easter weekend was a weekend underpinned by sharing, encouraging and sacrificing where our thoughts, deeds and words were mostly motivated by love. I hope that this refreshing pause helps us to become focused and energizing.

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