Much to Celebrate

 

 

 

I am particularly peeved when someone says

There is nothing for Barbados to celebrate

And all that person can see is the last few years

And the challenges confronting us here of late.

It really appears that our memory is short

And that past successes have been cancelled out

And given the struggles that we currently engage

We say there is nothing really to shout about.

While I truly appreciate that these times are rough

And the ship of state is tossed high and low

Yet I am reminded of the good times we have had

And the mercies of God that so unceasingly flow.

To sum up fifty years in the last five years or so

Shows far more than a smattering of ingratitude

And when present challenges obliterate all the past

I must ask from whence came this ungrateful mood.

A sincere reflection over the last fifty years

Speaks to tremendous growth and development

Of a nation though small and lacking in resources

Yet striving and holding its own with Godly intent.

For we boast of God being the people’s guide

And boldly confessed His presence by our side

Yet in a moment of challenge and failing policies

That same God we are willing to openly deny.

For to say there is really nothing to celebrate

Is to say that God has done nothing for us

That there is nothing for which to be thankful

And therefore what is the need for all of the fuss.

Fifty years and still being able to recollect

Is a profound and God given opportunity

And a people granted such a welcome privilege

Should raise hearts and hands to God in unity.

Through much we have come ‘tis true, ‘tis true

These first fifty years post independence

There were times we plateaued and times we grew

But we put our hands to the plow without reticence.

  

Today there are challenges as there were in the past

That with trust in Almighty God we overcame

This is the opportune time that we look to Him again

Rather than spend our time in apportioning blame.

There’s much to celebrate just look around and you’ll see

Our colleges, our schools and our university

Churches of differing faiths flung far and near

And freedom of religious beliefs is still regarded here.

Having had ten elections since nineteen sixty-six

None of them were rigged and none of them were fixed

And on four occasions when the government was changed

It was done peaceably as though Divinely arranged.

Our dollar has remained steadfast its value unchanged

Unlike several of our Caribbean counterparts

Though threatened and battered time and again

This little nation has never lost heart.

Like most countries all around the globe

Crime has shaken us at our very foundation

But not all of our youth are going this way

For many have been taking a different direction.

And relative to many countries around the world

Barbadians still enjoy certain basic human rights,

Let us celebrate those rights that still remain

And persevere to preserve them with all our might.

Yes we have lost some gains and that hurts to the core

Like free university education and the like

But let’s celebrate Community College and the Polytechnic

And praise God for such morning, noon and night.

And in our celebrating let us spare a thought

For those Barbadians who are severely disadvantaged

No water at their taps and no reliable bus service

Who can blame them for feeling sabotaged?

And after a prolonged period of unprecedented drought

The long sought for rains have finally come

Let us celebrate the freshness of all nature

And the faithfulness of each and every morning’s sun

For nothing to celebrate is to dishonor the Creator

And at Him an accusatory finger direct

It’s an indication that He has done nothing for us

And therefore not worthy of our respect.

It is so easy given our differing political ideologies

To completely castigate an opposing view

But let us celebrate the contributions of all and sundry

The DLP, BLP, NDP, the ancient and old and even the new.

 
 

 

Let us celebrate the strengths of our two political parties

And the political balance they bring to our nation

And let’s celebrate too the several pressure movements

Which over the years have made an invaluable contribution.

Nothing to celebrate is a misguided and untruthful publication

Designed to bury us in the graveyard of pessimistic advocacy

But counting our blessings spread over the past fifty years

Is worthy of celebration and praise to God for His undying love and mercy.

HAPPY FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY BARBADOS

Stewart Russell © 2016

A Word Worth Considering

I like a word I heard recently

Let us celebrate our Independence

It took into scope our first fifty years

And reflected on its significance.

This word avoided political divide

And shunned all political partisanship

And pushed the idea of one Barbados

And called for all to take a grip.

Take a grip of the fact

That we have traversed fifty years

From nineteen sixty-six to the present

And bear in mind that we are still around

With a chance to renew our intent.

Take a grip of the fact

That God is ultimately responsible

For all that has been achieved

And that should we reach another fifty

It will be through Him the good we receive.

Take a grip of the fact

That many have contributed

To our development and our progress

And these proceed from all walks of life

Not just those with academic success.

Take a grip of the fact

That the church has been in the forefront

Regarding the maintenance of those mores

Which have pointed us to a God of love

And have developed us in so many ways.

Take a grip of the fact

That education has been a hallmark

In improving the lot of our life

And our living standards are so much better

Since the times of much social strife.

Take a grip of the fact

That our country Barbados is made up

Of a diverse and talented group of citizens

And successfully navigating the way forward

Will call for more than two and a half dozen.

Take a grip of the fact

That as we reflect upon the past fifty

Calling to mind both failure and success

As a people there would be renewal

And the country as a whole would progress.

Renewal that points a better way of life

Returning to the values we once held dear

Of courtesy, respect and politeness

And to all persons showing that we care.

Renewal that speaks to a better life

For all oncoming generations

Recognizing our God ordained responsibility

To point them in the right direction.

Renewal that motivates commitment

To Almighty God who has led us thus far

And a resolute determination that never wavers

Amidst the obstacles that present a bar.

A renewal of the covenant with God

That promotes Him as our sovereign Lord

As the God of all mercy and all grace

And that has always kept His Word.

A renewal of love for our country

That surpasses one’s preoccupation with party

A renewal that upholds the common good

And commits to our national unity.

This word not only called us to reflect

And to commit to the values we once held

But it prompted us to give thanks to God

And of His grace to others tell.

Stewart Russell © 2016

Our Ship of State

Fifty years of Independence

A half-century at our craft

Now regarded as a ship of state

Having started out as a raft.

Through waters of variance

And sailing many a strait

Along the channels of resistance

We have had to navigate.

It has not been easy

Though sometimes it was light

But amidst the ups and downs

We focused on the light.

Targets not always clear

At times appeared nebulous

But with much determination

We placed in God our trust.

We often sing of His guidance

Whenever our anthem we raise

For without him by our side

We‘d never traverse life’s maze.

Much has been our growth

Sometimes stunted and slowed

But so far in our existence

We have survived every blow.

There’s still a long way to go

The future appears depressing

But with faith in God above

We can continue progressing.

For it’s not what we possess

That ultimately sees us through

It’s God in whom we trust

That turns grey skies to blue.

So as we reflect on the past fifty

And raise our glasses in toasting

Let us remember the God who led

And avoid the careless boasting.

 

Let us continue to trust Him

As we navigate the troubled seas

With head and heart and hand

With our aim always God to please.

For in God’s hand our ship is safe

And to safe harbor He will bring,

Whatever the tempest or the storm

Over all creation He is King.

So reflect, yes, that’s a must

And project without needless fuss

But in it all and through it all

Remember that it’s in God we trust.

Stewart Russell © 2016

Potential and Purpose

Potential and purpose,

The hallmarks of life

Are equally important

In life’s daily strife.

One’s given at the start

The other ongoing till death

Lives full of purpose

With intervals of rest.

The believer, chosen of God

With a purpose in view

Invested with potential

That purpose to pursue.

Procrastination and indolence

With diligence eschew

These are ever present

To hamper me and you.

The Apostle Paul an example

Potential in a vessel

Walked as God demanded

Amidst all of life’s hassle.

In the end he could declare

His purpose fulfilled

Potential used up

And none of it spilled.

An excellent spirit

Manifested in his work

Mindful of his purpose

With no thought to shirk.

An example to Timothy

And to all of us here

That potential is purpose

That is yet to appear.

For potential means nothing

Unless it is tapped

So that purpose ensues

Or else purpose is trapped.

 

For excellence is ongoing

With potential its furnace

God’s purpose our goal

Ensured by His grace.

Stewart Russell © 2016

Just a Problem Solving Idea for the Upper Juniors

     

 A carpenter earns $35 an hour.  He earns an extra $7 per hour for overtime.  He worked for 50 hours 10 of which are overtime.  How much money did the carpenter work for?

Section A

Simple recall questions could be:

1.   Who is the worker in the story

2.   What work does he do?

3.   How is he being paid?

4.   How much money does he get for each hour?

5.   How much money extra does he get for an hour?

The answers to the questions in Section A will supply us with the facts that we need to answer the next set of questions.

Section B

Questions that depend upon knowing the facts:

1.   What do you think is meant by overtime?

2.   How much money does he get for 2 hours normal time?

3.   How much money does he get for 4 hours normal time?

4.   How much money does he get for 40 hours normal time?

5.   How much money does he get for an hour of overtime?

6.   How much money does he get for 2 hours overtime?

7.   How much money does he get for 7 hours overtime?

Section C

Questions requiring information gathered from Section B:

1.   How much money does he get for 3 hours normal time and 2 hours overtime?

2.   How many hours normal time must he work if wants to get $72?

3.   How many overtime hours must he work to get $45?

4.   How much money should he get if he works 50 hours 10 of which are overtime?