Mothersday

Yesterday was Mothersday.  My real mother is many many miles away.. and my Jamaican Mother Kathy is leaving soon.  It is sad to me that Jerry and Kathy will be leaving Jamaica.  They have been part of my foundation here in Port Antionio.  I am trying not to be too sad yet, I still have two more months of them being right down the road.

Lauren and I met up with Kathy and Jerry at the Marina for a "Americanized" brunch.  As I walked to the pool side restaurant where I anticipated mimosas and smoked salmon, I passed many mothers and grandmothers  hanging laundry, sweeping porches and doing many other acts of work in their yards.  I thought, wow these moms dont get a break.  There are many single moms and grandmothers who are raising children, these women literally dont get a break.  Their husbands (many have never been married) dont bring them breakfast in bed and their grandchildren cant afford to send them flowers.  I got a new appreciation for Jamaican women.  They love children, it looks good to have pickney dem' (kids), and everyone is doing it, then they are left hand washing laundry, looking after their grandchildren and maybe have time to go to church on mothersday!

Jamaican Mothers

I was happy to see a group of women sitting under the trees at the marina.  They were dressed up, sitting on their beach towels on the grass.  There were trucks that had pre-cooked food and men, young and old, were serving the women cook shop food in Styrofoam containers.  There was a car with the back hatch open blaring Jesus music.  I thought to myself, this is definitely a Jamaicanized motherday celebration!  Cook shop, Jesus music, men serving the women food, a Jamaican womans dream!!!  It made me smile as I passed.

I did much prefer the quite brunch with a bottle of champagne, smoked salmon, cheese and baked goods that we dont see much of in our every day lives.  It was nice to spend a small part of my day with Jerry and Kathy, I suppose I need to cherish the last few times like this that I have with them.  It is funny though, the difference in culture, and how I so much enjoyed my brunch, but a Jamaican woman was having just as much enjoyment just a few hundred yards from me in a much different setting.

Brunch with Kathy

I hope all mothers felt loved and appreciated yesterday!!!