Why are the darkest, most challenging, and lonely moments of life the most fertile ground for inspiration? Let me answer through a metaphor. When we are well, physically strong and mentally sharp, we tend to place ourselves on the stage of life.We become performers.Social, visible, admired. We work hard.We pursue status, titles, and recognition.We standContinue reading “Darkest Moments – Gift From God”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
Discernment Begins with the Lens
We do not simply see.We see through.Our lives are shaped by lenses,quiet, invisible companionsresting upon the eyes of the heart. They are formed slowly,like coral beneath Caribbean waters,layer upon layer of memory,culture, belief, fatigue, desire.Some are polished by faith,others clouded by fear.Some sharpen truth,others bend it,until what is before usis no longer what it is.LikeContinue reading “Discernment Begins with the Lens”
Productivity is about who we are
THE EDITOR, Madam: I appreciate The Sunday Gleaner editorial of March 22, titled, “Building Productivity,” and its thoughtful focus on aligning education, training, research, and innovation with key areas of national investment. This integrated approach is indeed essential if Jamaica is to break free from its cycle of low productivity. However, I believe the argument, while valid,Continue reading “Productivity is about who we are”
Waltham Park Road – symptoms of a nation in distress
THE EDITOR, Madam: The Gleaner article of March 13, “Filth and Hazards on Waltham Park Road,” acts as a mirror reflecting Jamaica’s deeper socio-economic and moral condition. Imagine, for a moment, that Jamaica is a patient taken to A&E. Waltham Park Road is the body before the doctor for examination. What symptoms would the physician identify?Continue reading “Waltham Park Road – symptoms of a nation in distress”
Beyond the Reef
Vulnerability,Brené Brown says it’s uncertainty, risk, emotional exposure—but it feels to me like standing barefootat the edge of the sea,where the sand still remembers my nameand the water does not.Lately, the tides have changed.What once felt like a gentle shorelinenow asks me to swim—past the protective reef,past what is familiar,into waters that are deep, dark,andContinue reading “Beyond the Reef”
The Marriage of Christmas and Emmaus
Christmas is God’s greatest surprise:God steps onto the dusty and rugged road of our human journey.No longer distant—no longer mediated only by fire, cloud, angel, or law—God walks with us now in flesh and vulnerability,as companion, as Child, as Presence.For this mystery, the heavens themselves cannot remain silent:Gloria in excelsis Deo.And yet, so often, weContinue reading “The Marriage of Christmas and Emmaus”
I Am
I am—born and grown under the bright Caribbean sun,cradled in the warm, salt-sweet womb of the Caribbean Sea.Before my ancestors dreamed of freedom,God was already stirring the waters,brooding over chaos, whispering life into broken beginnings.The waves sang my lullaby before I knew my name,and the trade winds carried the stories of those who came beforeContinue reading “I Am”
Synodal Gift
At the School of Liturgy in St. Lucia, I watched a young soul, Nye Smith, participating in the journey.Seated beside his brother, lost in the glow of a screen, he was utterly absorbed, drawing life into a cartoon character.I approached, forming a gentle bond, and asked,”What are you sketching?””How old are you?””Who are you with?”HisContinue reading “Synodal Gift”
Gifts of national transformation
THE EDITOR, Madam: As in the biblical story of the Magi (Wise Men), Jamaica in 2025 received three gifts or stories that must be told, as they are models for national transformation rooted, not in rhetoric, but in value-centred programmes powered by skilled training and the creative arts. The first gift came in a conversationContinue reading “Gifts of national transformation”
When gold turns yellow, national pride and value fade
THE EDITOR: Madam: As we step into a new year, a personal dream that the post-Hurricane Melissa rebuilding will move beyond roads, bridges, and houses to the reconstruction of the very values that shape who we are. Recovery must be both physical and moral. And few national symbols speak more powerfully to our identity thanContinue reading “When gold turns yellow, national pride and value fade”
