On the evening of Saturday, August 25th, in a setting of glowing expectation, a group of elegantly attired ladies sat eagerly waiting in the Teachers’ Resource Centre Auditorium for the commencement of the opening ceremony. The event was the launch of the faith-based family oriented organization, The Greener Pastures — a community of wives.
The Greener Pastures Community is the brainchild of Mrs. Mishline Leader. It comprises of a group of wives who are dedicated to preserving the family fabric and, in particular, paying special attention to the care and survival of marriages.
As the ceremony began, a fervent prayer was offered by Mrs. Chadira Forde. The moderator, Mrs. Diane Harvey, then introduced the founder of the organization, Mrs. Mishline Leader.
Mrs. Leader explained the purpose and significance of the Greener Pastures Community. She said that the idea was recently birthed out of an inspiration which she received when she got married eleven years ago.
“Back then,” she reflected, “the name the First Wife’s Club is what I toyed around with. But that dream never came to fruition due to a lack of courage and self criticism. Unfortunately, I just cast that vision aside, thinking I couldn’t do it. As we fast forward to 2018, however, I have embraced this vision which I received one early morning when the name Greener Pastures came to me. I immediately noted the name in my phone and later formed and registered it as a non-profit organization.
“I wish to extend my thanks to the following persons for their input, encouragement and motivation: Mrs. Charisa Busby, Mrs. Chris Richardson, Ms. Stephanie Foster, and Bishop Samuel Daniel. They assisted in making Green Pastures a reality.”
Mrs. Leader continued: “The purpose of the Greener Pastures Community is to create, restore and preserve love in families through meaningful engagement. One may ask why create love? Well, we know that today many marriages are based on other elements other than love.
“For example, in India and Pakistan people marry just because it’s a norm of their culture. They don’t have a choice; they must be married. Otherwise, people marry for such things as a better way of life or the convenience of immigrant status. Evidently, these reasons are other than love. That is why Greener Pastures Community intends to create love.
Another of Greener Pastures’ goals is to restore love, because sometimes the love that once existed in marriage is diminished. There’s no friendship in the union any longer, and couples may just stay together for the sake of children, or because they want to avoid looking like castaways or being separated. Such marriages could do well with a restoration of love.
“Finally, we want to preserve the love that still exists in our marriages. Therefore, whenever we meet as a group, we will structure our meetings to be geared towards empowerment, transforming of our minds, the growth of marital relationships, and the support of our marriages.”
She added: “Greener Pastures…the color green symbolizes life, renewal, nature, and energy. Green is also associated with growth, safety and harmony. When we think of the color green, we may think about money and stability. But as we consider a green pasture, we think about the laughter of children; we envision romantic dates; and we envision a shift from self to focus on those around us.”
Other speakers included Mrs. Gerdia Harrigan who presented a pep-talk with the theme “Let’s Get It On”. One striking quote of her address was: “We wives are the mirror for the next generation of wives.”
Rev. Dr. Kathleen Richardson, the most senior wife present, presented a jovial and spirited keynote address bearing the theme “Love is a Choice, Not a Feeling”. One of her remarkable admonitions to the wives was as follows: “My husband was a good man. He loved me and he treated me well. We had been married for 49.9 years, and before he died, I told him that I don’t want another husband. I have paid my dues. I loved him and stayed with him ‘til death parted us.”
She went on: “Proverbs 5:15 says ‘drink water from your own cistern’. Your own cistern is your husband. And when he needs water, you are to give it to him.” Those kinds of connotations led to other light cheerful moments that sparked a flare of excitement and hilarious laughter among the appreciative audience of wives.
The five-member committee of the Greener Pastures Community includes: Chadira Forde; Judith Webster, Karen Richardson, Charissa-Ann Busby and Lisa Hodge. For more information about this organization, interested persons may contact Mrs. Mishline Leader at 476- 6808.
