donalddeanchambers

Life is a rhythm

Life is a rhythm. I feel the rhythm of my heart, the rhythm of my breathing. I imagine my internal organs function on a rhythm – blood flowing through arteries and veins, kidneys purifying the blood, muscles expanding and contracting, eyes blinking. Life is a rhythm. The rhythm of flowing rivers, sunshine and cloudiness, ebbContinue reading “Life is a rhythm”

Sacrifice and Light

I know well two daughters, full time caregivers of their mothers who suffer from dementia. For several weeks, I witness the light of patience, care and compassion emanating from the words and actions of these daughters. Even when stretched to the limit by the uncontrollable and unpredictable actions of their mothers, they bend like coconutContinue reading “Sacrifice and Light”

Desmond Tutu and Jamaica

THE EDITOR, Sir: If Jamaica is to become a phoenix rising from its current socio-economic quagmire, then there would be need for a more responsive and humane system of governance. Governance is understood as the manner of addressing and organizing the people’s business. However, responsive governance relies on consensus building, and consensus building depends onContinue reading “Desmond Tutu and Jamaica”

Governance

Christ Like Figures of Health Care Workers

I had a painful conversation with a health care worker. Her eyes communicated physical and emotional weariness. Working non-stop, without vacation since the start of the Corona Virus pandemic. Struggling to balance work, family, church, and personal responsibilities. Her daily clothing is the feeling of being overwhelmed. Underneath her clothing is a painful moral/spiritual dilemmaContinue reading “Christ Like Figures of Health Care Workers”

Doors of the Human Heart

Like a house, the physical heart has doors called valves. Opening and closing, they rhythmically allow blood in and out of the heart. Like an automatic glass sliding door, these valves open and close, open and close for our entire life. They permit just the ideal volume of blood into the heart chamber; just theContinue reading “Doors of the Human Heart”

Beggars – Sacrament of the Divine

I visited the supermarket, shopped, and exited. While hurrying to escape the ants nests of pre-Christmas shoppers, I failed to secure by wallet in the back pocket of my pants. Precariously juggling two boxes of items in my hands, I neglected either to hear someone saying, “Your wallet is falling out”, or to recognize thatContinue reading “Beggars – Sacrament of the Divine”

Comfort Zone

I reunited with my godson this past weekend. What a pleasure it was to engage him in an adult constructive and mature conversation! No longer am I the sole teacher. We are now both teachers and learners. During the conversations, our own learning styles were discussed and clarified. His learning style is predominantly auditory. HeContinue reading “Comfort Zone”

Everybody gone, gone, gone!

I sat on the verandah this cool and calm Saturday morning with my mother reminiscing and recalling the names of persons who lived in my childhood neighbourhood. My mother‘s elephant-like memory afforded her the opportunity to retrace the well-worn tracks of time and identify a litany of persons who have trodden those paths, some ofContinue reading “Everybody gone, gone, gone!”

Mother Mercy

James Keenan writes that “mercy is entering the chaos of another.” On a COVID-19 pandemic flight from Port of Spain to Miami, I witnessed mercy in the action of a mother of two – a toddler in arms and another about four years old. Our seats were next to each other like dominoes on aContinue reading “Mother Mercy”