THE MONTHLY GLEANER | NOVEMBER 2 - DECEMBER 2, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS 5 BROTHER ARNOLD DIVINE MESSENGER – SPIRITUAL ADVISOR Have truth and trust in Love. Riddance yourself of Dark, Heavy unhappiness. Gain favor in Court/Immigration, Family, Health & Fertility, Career/Schooling matters Call: 929.233.8564 ANSWERS BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE Will Leslie Brown whose last known address is Lot 686, 25 Shell Crescent, New Harbour Village 1, Old Harbour, St. Catherine or anyoneknowing his whereabouts kindly contact the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, 10 Hanover Street, Spanish Town St. Catherine. Telephone: 876-301-4983 LEGAL NOTICE WHEN REMEMBERING you, Daddy, these are the descriptives of you that cloud my mind: charismatic thinkers, playfully mischievous, biblical and political enthusiasts, ardent and skilful listeners who spoke eloquently. Daddy, I looked up to you and always will. In my mind, you are my pine tree, forever standing tall. Looking through my lens of admiration, you are my solemn inspiration. In hindsight, you can do no wrong, though you have, but with a swift and respectful reprimand, my infinite love for you endures! Daddy, you are and always will be my evergreen, my strong coniferous pine tree, my symbolism of forgiveness and protection. The mere thought of you, Dad, brings to mind the sight of endurance, hope, and longevity because you, my earthly father, through the grace and mercy of the Almighty God, could withstand the harshest and most uncompromising times. Daddy, you adapted and thrived through it all. My Daddy, without you, there would have been no me. As such, my Pine Tree, you are my profound reminder of strength and resilience that has weathered life’s most brutal storms without equivocations. And for this reason, you evolved and will continue to grow in me for better or worse. Daddy, as my Pine Tree, you represent my symbol of growth and renewal. Your needles will stay evergreen in my heart even though you have shed your robe of flesh to cease the everlasting prize. Still, all my memories of you will remain, granting me the ability to continue growing, loving, forgiving, and evolving despite the many challenges I may face. Daddy, yes, you are my Pine cone, my pineal gland, where peace abides, and your soul rests. Purification and cleansing of the mind, Daddy. I love you so much and am overjoyed knowing you have discovered a peaceful rest. Love you much, Daddy, Simply, Jacks (Jackie) Raynor G. Skyers died on Monday, September 11, 2023, in Brooklyn, NY. He was known to most as Raymond G. Skyers and served for more than a decade (1970-1980), as senior advisor in the People’s National Party (PNP), under the leadership of Michael Manley. A burial service will be held at Petersfield, St. Thomas, on Saturday, December 23, 2023, at 10:30 am. Remembering my dad, Raynor ‘Raymond’ Skyers Raynor Skyers CONTRIBUTED Sashana Small/Staff Reporter KAY-SIMONE MORRISON Edwards had already got married, started her family, and was quite comfortable selling clothing items to salons in the vicinity of her hometown of Old Harbour in St Catherine. Though she understood the importance of a university education, it was not a goal she had. But when her daughter was 11 years old, she told The Gleaner that a desire was planted in her to achieve more and be an example to her child. “I said to myself, she’s about to enter high school very soon, so after high school, the next part of the journey is we want them to go to university or college. And I said to myself, supposed she say’I don’t have to go to university or college, you didn’t go’, what would be my answer?” Morrison Edwards, who was a 28-year-old at the time, said she decided that she would provide a favourable answer to that hypothetical question by enrolling at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, to pursue a degree in marketing in 2015. The last time she had been in a classroom was 13 years before when she graduated from the Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha), and although she was “energetic and ready to dive into this new journey”, it didn’t take long for her to fully come to grasp with the magnitude of her decision and the will it took for her to adjust. “It’s a quick-moving place. It’s not a babysitting place, so you are very much independent there. Along the way, what I realised, though, is that closed mouths don’t get fed, so I couldn’t be in my shell and then having issues with courses, and so forth … like I am not understanding and keeping it to myself,” she said. “I had to balance because I am not only a student, I am a mother, and I am a wife. My husband is very supportive, but he is very traditional at the same time, and he had a very stressful job ... so at times I had to step up when he was not there,” she said. Morrison Edwards explained that she enrolled part time and would schedule her classes for three each week. She was also travelling with her clothing items and selling them on campus. But she said that at first, her grades were not encouraging, and the stress of that was compounded when she got sick three years after she started and was later diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer. TOOK A YEAR OFF Feeling overwhelmed, and doubting herself for her decision to attend university, she opted to take a year off. When she returned, Morrison Edwards, who describes herself as a people person, formed a community, felt rejuvenated, and set out to improve her grades. “What I did was do my introspection as usual and seh to myself, ‘how am I going to just move from mediocre to a B level or an A level’, and what I realised is that I had to apply myself,” she said. As her grades improved, so did her confidence. Already, she has secured her first corporate job as a communications person and currently now works as a property manager. On Saturday when Morrison Edwards’ degree is officially conferred, she will walk across the stage very cognisant of the fact that she is able to do so because of the support of her family and her faith in God. “When I got it (the degree), I got up and I did a hallelujah shout! I was, like, ‘Jesus, your word is true. It never came back void!” she said. And even though she acknowledges that the process of starting university may be difficult for mothers, the now 36-year-old mother of two is encouraging those who are considering it as a next step to ensure that they conduct thorough research and a have strategy before starting. But she gives the assurance that that is a decision that would lead to no regrets. “You can do it, do it just like NIKE. The experience and the wealth of knowledge gained from the courses I did, lecturers and fellow students sharing their stories, I can’t put a price tag on that,” she said. “The perfect time doesn’t exist.” ‘The perfect time doesn’t exist’ Mother of two basks in glory of university graduation Kay-Simone Morrison Edwards Kay-Simone Morrison Edwards with husband Rohan Edwards, daughter Kayle Edwards and son Neymar Edwards. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS
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