I en know ’bout you, but it don’ seem I able to keep up wid de way time flyin’. I could scarce believe “Ash Wensdy” was las’ week when all good Christians like yuhself went to church to get yuh “ashes” to start off de season – a time when people suppose to “res’” from bad habits – I onderstan’!
I got to use de word “suppose”, ’cause hummuch people you believe, ’specially de youff, singin’ dah tune nowadays?
Long ago, Lent was a “quiet” time when even de airwaves din play certain types o’ music. But dah was den an’ dis is now. Times change. Is de 21st cent’ry. While older Bajans might still “pray an’ fas’”, I doubt dem in de majority; fuh de “res’”,
Lent en dah quiet, holy time no mo’, tummuch to do, soul. In Latin countries doh, whey nearly evahbody is Roman Cath’lic, I suppose tradition mus’ still be strong.
I ax Philomena wuh’s de sense in gi’in’ up smokin’, drinkin’ an’ wuhevah else, fuh 40 days an’ start up agen soon as Lent done. Ef yuh could stop fuh 40 days, why yuh cyhan stop fuh good?
Durin’ evah Lent, my nighber nephew would stop drinkin’ fuh de 40 days religiously, but tell yuh, when dah forty-firs’ day come ’roun’, de ole hypocrit c’n wait to boun’ in de neares’ rumshop, tryin’ ’e bes’ to mek up fuh all dem “los’” days. We would see ’e staggerin’ home at night, drunk to de worl’.
Now you don’ ’gree dat he could only be mekkin’ “mock sport”? He din foolin’ nobody, only ’eself.
De ethuh day Philomena show muh a leaflet sugges’in’ a diff’rent way to live durin’ Lent. I en know whey it come from, but de writer say dat ’stead o’ fastin’ from food an’ drink, people should fas’ in a diff’rent way.
Gi’e up “negative t’inkin’”, an’ free up duh min’s from “error t’oughts” – hatred, gossip, onfuhgiveness, jealousy, t’ings like dat. Try feastin’ ’pon peace, love, kindness, all de time keepin’ watch over duh words, actions an’ deeds.
Lord mek peace! Dah way o’ fastin’ soun’ too hard, doh. It might be mo’ easy to stop de drinkin’ or smokin’, yuh en know? But . . . I like de idea, so I plannin’ to try it out.
I know “onfuhgiveness” real hard to do, ’specially when yuh feel de person use an’ misuse you. But I learn it don’ pay to keep nobody in min’; in the long run, only you gine suffer. While you eatin’ up yuhself wid vexation, an’ t’inkin’ ’bout all ways to “pay back”, de ethuh person gone ’long enjoyin’ life widout a t’ought ’bout you. So who gine en’ up wid de healf problems? You! Habourin’ all dem bad feelin’s inside – hatred an’ jealousy does come wid it too – yuh only diggin’ yuh grave.
We nighber see it an’ say she like de idea but it en gine be easy to “hol’ off” ’pon de gossip. Dat woman is somet’ing else, faif. She always know somet’ing ’bout somebody an’ mos’ of de time . . . it wrong!
I always wonder whey she get she info’mation from, but y’know how it is wid we rumour mill.
Philomena an’ muhself start to do dis new way o’ fastin’, but lemmuh tell yuh, keepin’ watch over evaht’ing I say an’ do at all times, is bare murder.
I might jes’ ha’ to tek de vow o’ silence. An’ even den, t’oughts still gine ’roun’ an’ ’roun’ in muh head, an’ some en too purty neithuh. Anyhow, 40 days en a lifetime. Neffin – an’ dah include Lent – las’ fuhevah!
Tek care o’ yuhself.
Yuh frien’, Babsie.
