Hello mi neighbour! | Be kind: Help a neighbour today

Hello mi neighbour! Before you dash, let’s set the tone for the productive, satisfactory, on-top-of-things day, desired by most neighbours, including you! Now, take five deep breaths and tune your vocal chords. There will be more singing than reading today. Here we go with a song familiar to many (if not most) Jamaicans!

This is the day, this is the day

That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made.

We will rejoice, we will rejoice,

And be glad in it, and be glad in it.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day, this is the day

That the Lord has made

GREAT!

So we have just acknowledged the Maker of the day and determined what we will make of it. We are resolute that we’ll allow absolutely nothing to change our mind. Doing well so far.

Don’t leave just yet. We are now ready to reinforce our stance with another popular song of praise:

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart;

I will enter His courts with praise.

I will say this is the day that the Lord has made.

I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

He has made me glad, He has made me glad,

I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

He has made me glad, He has made me glad,

I will rejoice for He has made me glad.

MAGNIFICENT!

Today, you will encounter ‘a little bit of this and a little bit of that’, and you will be compelled to make a choice – negative or positive, but we know that your choice will be positive.

As you join in singing this next song, let’s ask for grace to make it a reality. It’s important!

If you see your brother standing by the road

With a heavy load from the seeds he’s sowed

And if you see your sister falling by the way

Just stop and say, “You’re going the wrong way.”

You got to try a little kindness, yes, show a little kindness

Just shine your light for everyone to see

And if you try a little kindness then you’ll overlook the blindness

Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

Don’t walk around the down and out

Lend a helping hand instead of doubt

And the kindness that you show every day

Will help someone along their way

“You got to try a little kindness … .”

Finally, this next song acts as a yardstick to help us determine if we are living in vain:

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or a song,

If I can show somebody he is travelling wrong,

Then my living shall not be in vain!

Then my living shall not be in vain,

Then my living shall not be in vain!

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

Then my living shall not be in vain!

If I can do my duty as a Christian oft,

If I can bring back beauty to a world up wrought,

If I can spread love’s message that the Master taught,

Then my living shall not be in vain!

Then my living shall not be in vain …

Thanks for staying and participating! Now please make adjustments (if necessary) and do have a productive, satisfactory and on-top-of-things day!

THANKS TO NEIGHBOURS

1. Jamaica National Foundation & SAMPARS for contributing to neighbours’ welfare.

2. A neighbour who travels miles to deliver breakfast to a neighbour who has been quarantined.

3. Everybody’s Pharmacy for acts of neighbourliness.

KINDLY HELP SOMEONE FROM THE LIST BELOW

1. Miss Grace, St Thomas, needs a dresser.

2. Althea, St Mary, asking neighbours for cement to assist with a little house … also a bed.

3. Elderly fire victim, asking for a stove.

To help, please call Silton Townsend @ 876-334-8165, 876-884-3866, or deposit to acct # 351 044 276 NCB. Alternatively, send donations to HELLO NEIGHBOUR c/o 53 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10. Paypal/credit card. Email: zicron22@yahoo.com. Contact email: helloneighbour@yahoo.com. Visit hellomineighbourja.blogspot.com. Mr Townsend exclusively manages the collections and distributions mentioned in this column and is neither an employee nor agent of The Gleaner.