He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. – Psalm 1:3
The year 2013 has come to an emotional and mystifying end for me. My time during 2013 was spent delivering lectures, teaching children, spending quality time with my jovial family and conducting academic research to deliver quality articles for readers of this column.
What I truly enjoy is sitting in my garden with the “silent doctors” and being inspired by nature. Nature is where we have to go to refresh ourselves as we must be prepared to embrace 2014 with its many expected challenges.
My plans for 2013 and this column were well executed and the feedback empowered me. The readers of this column can be considered as amazing people who are true seekers of authentic knowledge and most of them appear to be very humble. In fact, the telephone calls and emails which I received were all delivered by people who were complimentary and who wanted to share ideas to make this column more appealing and knowledgeable.
Inspirational stories
I felt overjoyed as I travelled around Barbados and interacted with numerous people who confided that they read this column every week in addition to collecting the articles and making personal scrapbooks for future reference. Also of interest were the people who shared inspirational stories about how this column had inspired them.
This month I received a text and later a phone call from Anwar Mohammed. I had always admired him. He brought tears to my eyes when I again recognized from a very deep conscious level that my ideas were being embraced by him and other readers in pursuit of their dreams.
It is the fruit of our labour which we must continue to expand to see us through 2014. I want readers to respect Barbadian-grown fruit as natural saviours. I believe that as we have organizations that protect human and animal rights, that a similar organization should be formed which would ensure the protection and preservation of our fruits and plants from wanton destruction. The enactment of relevant legislation would enhance this process.
In addition, more research needs to be conducted in the areas of health benefits and exportation as the potential, economic and health benefits are endless. Imagine Barbadian-canned golden apples, gooseberries or guavas being sold internationally. Likewise, incentives should be offered to encourage citizens to plant more fruit. We must appreciate that we should “eat what we grow”.
Finally, I wish all readers a holistic 2014 and thank the Nation newspaper for its continued support.
Annette Maynard-Watson, a teacher and herbal educator, may be contacted via [email protected] or by telephone 250-6450.
