In his book entitled, Life is Messy, Matthew Kelly challenges me to: “Allow the ordinary to heal you.”“Learn to cherish the ordinary.”“Make a list of twenty ordinary things that bring you joy when you experience themconsciously” Here is my list:WINE OVER CONVERSATIONWATER – RIVER, SEA, SWIMMING POOLNATUREREADINGCHILDRENHUGSWRITINGAMICABLE WORKING STAFFPLANNINGSWIMMINGSLEEPINGLISTENINGALONENESSSILENCELISTENING TO THE SOUNDS OF BIRDSFRIENDSFAMILYARTWORKTEASINGSITTING INContinue reading “Ordinary Things”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
Synod Journey to Matelot
The synod journey is like a drive on a winding, pothole-riddled, narrow, rural road. Fr. Raymond, Fr. Peter, and I embarked on an easy-going car ride along the coastal road from the village of Mission to Matelot in Trinidad. With car windows down, we were caressed by the natural air condition of coastal breeze, theContinue reading “Synod Journey to Matelot”
Synod Response
I preached a Lenten Retreat in the Catholic Church of the Toco Missions (Rampanalgas, Cumana, Mission, Grand Riviere, and Matelot) during the third week of Lent, 2022. I reflected on the theme, Synod: Communion, Participation, and Mission. Below is a prayer coined and prayed by Rebecca Francis and two reflections/poem by Nicole Richards-Bishop in responseContinue reading “Synod Response”
Cycle of Death and Resurrection
I wake before the break of dawn. It’s still dark in my room. Artificial light barely squeezing through a slender crack of my curtain. Darkness still reigns. It’s Easter Vigil morn. Darkness reigns. Darkness within and darkness without. I feel like a piece of meat in a sandwich Pressed together by the twin forces ofContinue reading “Cycle of Death and Resurrection”
Dying and Death – The Climax of Vulnerability
Life is like a journey from conception to death. Starting at the bottom of a hill and ending at the top. Both the beginning and the end of the journey are outside our control. That uncontrollable, unpredictable, unexpected moment, I call vulnerability. Vulnerability is that “unstable feeling we get when we step out [or areContinue reading “Dying and Death – The Climax of Vulnerability”
Sweat like drops of blood
Holy Thursday. The washing of feet ritual. Tiny feet, big feet. Aged old feet, child’s feet. Black feet, white feet, brown feet. Soft feet, hardened feet. Visible and invisible varicose vein feet, Dead skin covered feet, All feet mask a story. Only contours and texture reveal hidden stories. Knees in genuflection posture and lower backContinue reading “Sweat like drops of blood”
Breaking the Cycle
On Thursday, March 17, 2022, my heart painfully shattered as I read a newspaper article in the Jamaica Gleaner about five Jamaican government Ministers and a member of the Opposition who allegedly broke the Disaster Risk Management Act by not wearing masks at a social public event. What tore by heart? Not the action ofContinue reading “Breaking the Cycle”
Beloved Reflections 