“Gratitude is a must”— Koffee

Jamaican reggae artist Koffee has a global hit song, Toast, that speaks to the need for us, as human beings, to be grateful for everything that we have in life. Today, I would like to give thanks for several things.

At the top of my list would be to tell the staff of the Department of Works and Engineering many thanks for finally designing and installing a pedestrian crossing and sidewalk on Middle Road, Devonshire.

This particular pedestrian crossing is located in between the entrance of Sousa Estate and the southern side of Somersfield Academy.

For many years, schoolchildren and residents have had to run like Usain Bolt to cross the street while avoiding oncoming traffic from both directions.

With increasing amounts of parents dropping their children to Somersfield, it only compounded the probability of an unfortunate incident happening.

So it was with great relief to know that engineers designed the safest layout and the Highways Section carefully and skilfully installed a new sidewalk. On behalf of the people of Devonshire, we are indeed grateful.

Second, I would like to give thanks to the Elliot Primary School PTA who will be putting on a spring school fair tomorrow.

Putting on any event is a lot of work, so an event of this nature takes a dedicated team of volunteers.

The community of eastern Devonshire is rather close-knit with most persons related by blood or by neighbourhood ties. As close as we are, we do not always get to have large gatherings, apart from someone’s funeral or wake.

So, this school fair serves as a perfect avenue for yet another Devonshire family reunion, and, without a doubt, it will allow us once again to have unlimited, multigenerational family fun. A “thanks”, would not suffice for those that have conceptualised and brought this event to fruition.

Finally, I would like to express gratitude for the opportunity to spend this past Monday in the company of Sir Hilary Beckles, who is the vice-chancellor of The University of the West Indies, more commonly known as UWI. Sir Hilary visited Bermuda this week, order to speak with the president of the Bermuda College, Duranda Greene, the vice-president, Phyllis Curtis-Tweed, and several other members of staff, with a view to strengthening ties between the two institutions.

Additionally, he spoke with Diallo Rabain, the education minister, and key members of the Department of Education about some excellent opportunities for Bermudian students who wish to attend UWI.

It was extremely heartening to hear his passion in speaking about a wide range of subjects, including increasing university education throughout the Caribbean, regional integration, reparations for slavery, and our much beloved West Indies cricket. Over the next few months, we will be hearing more from Sir Hilary about the immense amount of opportunities that UWI offers.

In closing, as human beings, we can very easily sit down on a daily basis and find things to complain and gripe about.

There is no shortage of day-to-day challenges that could have us in the doldrums. However, when we take stock of things being done for us or those we love, the positives will always outweigh the negatives.

Indeed, gratitude is a must.

• Christopher Famous is a government backbencher and the MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him at WhatsApp on 599-0901 or e-mail at cfamous@plp.bm