Sunday, 26 January 2020 (North Side, Anguilla) — It has been quite some time since I wrote an article for publishing in The Anguillian newspaper. My creativity as a wordsmith seems to have faded following the death of my father in September 2017. Life’s events appear to be far too serious for me to even contemplate writing words to raise conscious awareness, or to speak with blinding clarity the truths I discern – let alone to inspire us to achieve greater heights in our lives.
Recently, I encountered a number of individuals in the Anguilla community who expressed how much they enjoyed reading my thoughts shared in published opinion editorials. Their flattering remarks encourage me to delve into my God-given talent of crafting words. So tonight, I felt compelled to write whatever the Great Spirit channels through my mind’s eye.
Earlier today, I spoke with a visitor at Gwen’s Reggae Grill, on Shoal Bay East, and told the guest that I’d been holding space for others. She immediately understood what I meant by these words. I’ve kept others in prayer, surrounding them with love and light, doing whatever I can to support and uplift them as they go through their life experiences and challenges – along with death, dying and sickness of loved ones. Holding space is a calling that God has placed in my compassionate heart.
We’ve not yet completed the first month of this new decade in the year 2020. However, it feels like I’ve lived through several months in this short time span of 26 days. Too many things have happened causing me to spend significant energy focussing on other people’s needs. It began with the news of Leroy Vanterpool’s untimely and shocking death along with the gunshot injuries impacting Salih Abdur Raheem’s health. On the same Sunday I heard about this incident in Welches, I learnt my young cousin, Perry McNamar, who was 26 years of age, died presumably from complications following open-heart surgery he had in September 2019. This afternoon whilst limin’ with family and friends at Gwen’s, I heard more devastating news regarding a shooting in the Keys area of Island Harbour village.
It’s not even the 31st of January 2020 and there’s at least one death by shooting, possibly two, and one person seriously injured by gunshot wounds, maybe more. This makes absolutely no sense! What’ going on? We live in such a small island community. Anguilla is merely 35 square miles with less than 18,000 people residing year-round, and hundreds of visitors who annually come to our shores. What’s possessing certain persons to resort to violence in settling whatever disputes they may have?
I’ve written all of this to say, how can we aid our loved ones whom we care so much for, whilst they experience death, dying and various life challenges? My only suggestions are to keep them in constant prayer, to speak encouraging words, to allow them the time and ways that are best for each one to process grief – to heal from sickness or whatever they are experiencing. By doing so, we are holding space for them to work through what is a part of their soul’s journey. None of us knows what another person is really going through. We may have empathy, sympathy and compassion, but we aren’t that particular individual – and we don’t have that person’s specific personality. So, it’s impossible for us to fully comprehend each individual’s experiences in life.
Let us not begrudge others. Let us be love and light shining bright to guide one another on these paths that we tread as souls in human forms. Cease the bickering, the mean spiritedness, the maiming of another person’s life. Learn how to get along better with people whose personalities, opinions and ways of living differ from ours. Be kind to one another. Don’t take people’s actions personal every time they act out. Sometimes they are going through stuff we know nothing about, or it’s just their personalities and how they behave towards everyone. Say prayers daily for those who are facing life’s challenges. Teach children, youths and adults how to peacefully resolve conflicts – instead of picking up knives and guns to wound one another or slinging words that are equally as hurtful.
These are life lessons that my daddy taught me, and I’ve learnt. I pray we all learn to follow them. May God mould each of us into taking well-intentioned actions that don’t cause harm to ourselves nor to others. And may we receive God’s blessings as we strive to live more divinely in the image of greatness that we were created to be.
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Kay M Ferguson is a conscious writer, who writes under the nom de plume Empress Extraordinaire, composing words to enlighten and uplift humanity. Connect with her on social media—Facebook and LinkedIn or email anguillawriter@gmail.com.
