Redemption: A Calling of Our Divine Spirit to be Truly Free

In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity. — Erik Erikson

But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

The Bible - 1 Corinthian 15:10

During the almost two years of retreating to my home due to the covid pandemic, I have had time to revisit myself, review my life, refresh my way of thinking, and reaffirm who I really am. Finding out what is truly important, necessary and beneficial to sustain a life that is nurtured spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically have become my absolute quest. I have realized that the discovery and acknowledgement of our identity - Latin meaning: “oneness and sameness”, and the present day Oxford definition: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is,” must be our number one priority in life. If we do not know ourselves, we are like a rudderless ship, and a lamp with no light. How do we find who we truly are, and therefore be truly free?

Retreat to the place of inner self and seek the Divine

Have you ever just retreated to a quiet place, without the noise and hubbub of life, and just allow your inner self to have a dialogue with the divine? I have numerous times throughout my life. I speak with the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent Creator who made creation. I did not even need a Bible, I saw God in the wonders of nature and the miracle of my birth, which I had no control over. I seek. I find. What the Bible did for me was confirm that God is merciful and loving in spite of my shortcomings. I acknowledge Him, He comes into my heart, and I seek His Will because I recognize very quickly I of myself cannot sustain me. I can’t do anything without the breath of God. I now have peace and can live confidently knowing I am a child of God. The rewards that comes with my identity in God in Christ is that I have the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – all the qualities that most human beings yearn for.

Acknowledge our history and cultural traditions

As a mixed race, Jamaican-Canadian woman : Black, East Indian, Jewish, Irish, Scottish and English, I am truly a “United Nations,” and as my birth country’s motto says, “Out of Many, One People.” I embrace who I am – the history of my forefathers – and I am very cognizant of the rich, cultural heritage, especially of the traditions preserved, promoted and performed by Mother of Jamaican Culture, the Hon. Dr. Louise Bennett Coverley (Miss Lou), through the artistic expressions of poetry, song, riddles, proverbs and storytelling. For me, to be truly me and free, I must express the uniqueness of my Jamaican culture in my multicultural homeland, Canada, so that I can contribute the very best of what my traditions and heritage have inculcated in me, and therefore enrich my Canadian community with my Jamaicanness. As an educator, recording artist, motivational speaker and Jamaican folklorist, I have seen the fruits of my contributions to the rich pot pourri of cultures in Canada, Jamaica and internationally. There has been an igniting of people’s souls for “ole time sinting” – the things of old that brought them joy. When I did my book launch for my third book, One Pot, and did a reading of true stories done in the wit and humour of Jamaican storytelling, recited poetry in the Jamaican dialect, patois, and described Jamaican-Canadian fusion recipes, highlighting the foods of both my birth and home country, people were joyful, feeling nostalgic, and expressed a feeling of a renaissance of traditions they held dearly. One lady, an accomplished artist, even was inspired to do paintings of our cultural icon, Miss Lou and her husband Eric “Chalk Talk” Coverley, with whom she had a close relationship with. Paulette R. Denson said, “Mr. and Mrs. Coverley have stepped in and have you awaken me. I know that our ancestors are here for us. Thanks again. I will pull through whatever I’m going through. God knows they directed us...I feel it.”

Stand up for justice or we agree with the status quo

With the very heartbreaking history of our African, Jewish and Indigenous peoples, and the unearthing of inhumane behaviours towards certain races in our global world, it is very important that we stand up for what is just and right, or else we are a party to the paradigm of perpetrators. I will use my mouthpiece and platform to educate people about the truths of my heritage. In my book, What Teachers Are Made Of, I wrote a section called “Make History His Story and Her Story’” in which I spoke about the fragmented identities of many racial groups, and how the history books have not fully disclosed the truths about the their treatment of these groups, and the positive contributions that they have made in every sector of society. One of my solutions was to “challenge the powers that be to include in the national curriculum in schools, from as early as elementary school, ‘History of our Multicultural Peoples of Canada.’...We can be agents of change and create a new psyche in our young generation.

Be our authentic self

I have found freedom in being the quirky, happy, artistic, loving and caring me. I cannot be someone else. They are already taken. I have found more joy, purpose and peace pleasing myself and the audience of One – God, before I try pleasing someone else, and forgetting the core of who I am. I have discovered too that you attract what you have become.

Be our best self and be kind

In this era of covid, one thing that has come home to me is that, it is not our talents, our possessions or our physical attributes that really matter, it is how we make people feel that will be truly remembered, even after we pass away from this earth. Kindness and unconditional love are like healing balm to a weary, despondent, joyless soul. Just be nice. You do not know what others are going through, and an act of kindness will surely help them from going over the edge.

So, discovering and acknowledging the divine, accepting our history, embracing the best of our cultural traditions, standing up for justice, being authentic and being our best self, all contribute to the overall balance in our lives, and make us discover our true identity, which allows us to be truly free!