Today I want to recognize the achievement,

Of 33 days of encouragement.

Yes, my friend Tanisha has taken the position,

To give encouragement on a 90-day mission.

Every day a bit of value is brought,

To change, or, to inspire our thoughts.

When we're climbing that steep hill of self doubt,

Encouragement steps in to help us out.

It makes that walk of faith a bit easier,

By convincing us that we're more than a conqueror.

Goals that may have seemed so unreachable, 

Are now placed in the category of so very possible.

The decision that you were so scared to make,

No longer has the ability to make you quake.

Life can be difficult, that is a fact,

But encouragement steadies our step and keeps us on track.

Encourages, like Tanisha, need some encouraging too,

So that they can continue to bring us value.

Tanisha, hats off for taking up the task,

For you did so, without being asked.

Words are powerful and can definitely shape our future,

So let's all demonstrate that power and be an encourager.

Moving along this pathway to get to my 90 day goal,

I realize the ride isn't so smooth and very easily I could lose control.

At various points I see barriers that seem impenetrable,

And an acute presence of obstacles that seem formidable.

As with any challenge there will be a level or levels of resistance,

However facing it onwards will build confidence and give meaning to my very existence.

To claim victory at the end I need to possess,

A mindset that has its focus on success.

I will not let age deter me,

Or, place limitations on my capability.

What others think of me I'll take with a grain of salt,

As my self worth isn't stored in their 'opinion vault'.

I'm the average of the five people I spend the most time with,

So I refuse to be in the company of people who are toxic.

Fear, that emotion, that paralyzes motion,

Will not be given any type of promotion.

Fear and negativity is often engendered by the complainer,

If given a chance they can put success in grave danger.

I am going to live in the present moment wherever I go,

Not worrying about the past or being anxious about tomorrow.

With a set mind I trod on towards this 90 day goal,

And daily I will seek to improve my community and hopefully the world.

Copyright 25th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved

Today I had a surprise visit,

By none other than the Christmas spirit.

It's only the month of October I say,

But on the radio I hear sweet parang music play.

The thing that really opened the door,

For the Christmas spirit to come in and explore,

Was some Christmas tree decor,

Which my son's teacher asked for.

I decided this was something we could both make,

Having some fun while we create.

So there I was making a decoration,

Instead of writing for this presentation .

I was truly immersed and focused to get it done,

While my son displayed such interest and fascination.

Last year he was afraid of every Christmas tree,

This year however that fear is gone totally ,

I now have thoughts of getting a Christmas tree,

Which will be enjoyed by the entire family.

Additionally, my son's school Christmas concert is around the corner,

And Go Tell it on The Mountain, has never sounded sweeter.

This three year old's rendition,

Has definitely given the Christmas spirit of 2017 its admission.

©Copyright 24th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Over the weekend we planted some fruit trees.

It was a family activity of which I was well pleased.

While engrossed in this I had thoughts of my mother,

Who has that colloquial green thumb or green finger.

She has that natural knack for growing plants successfully,

As evidenced by crops that are healthy and harvest that are plenty.

My mother envisioned that, as part of her legacy,

Where her children and grandchildren could partake in the harvest freely, happily and appreciatively.

She stands proud and happy for that valid reason,

Crop after crop, season after season.

I think the green fingers has added assistance,

When there is love straight from the heart in coexistence.

Somehow the harvest multiplies like some kind of miracle,

Ensuring all visitors get a share that's favorable.

©Copyright 23rd October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

If Diabetes had a persona.

There is so much advice and information on what to do,

Yet the statistics on me keep rising whenever they search for Type 2.

If they do not care to show good self care management,

Then they should not mind when I decide to make a statement.

I can surely say that I do not discriminate,

But I do have a liking for the ones who procrastinate.

The ones who just refuse to quit,

Instead of developing some healthy lifestyle habit.

The ones who skip meals time and time again,

With blood sugar lows and highs they just can’t contain.

The ones who insist on late night snacking,

And then wake up with high sugar levels the next morning.

The ones who refuse to keep track of their blood sugar reading.

Making it difficult to determine if their treatment is working.

The ones who continuously alcohol binge drink,

With little regard of how low their blood sugar will sink.

The ones who increase the risk for heart disease,

By saddling smoking with me, Type 2 Diabetes.

The ones I really do adore,

Are the ones who think exercise is a punishable chore.

They refuse to include a daily bit of it,

Even though it has remarkable benefits.

I go crazy over the ones whose diet is unbalanced and unhealthy,

Making sugar levels sky rocket to heights that can be deadly.

Worse yet is when they fail to take their medication,

I prevail, and life becomes a comatic situation.

While I’m enumerating those that I do fancy,

I’m thinking of the ones who have control over me.

The ones who know that even though I have no cure,

Life with meaning is still their’s to secure.

Keeping me at bay is very possible,

But daily is the battle, daily is the struggle.

©Copyright 22nd October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Yesterday of this poem the first part i did present,

Part Two now deals with tonsillitis’ treatment.

To determine whether the cause was by virus or bacteria,

Doing a throat swab is a necessary criteria.

Based on the results gained,

The course of antibiotics, if needed, can then be ascertained.

These are to be taken until completion,

To ensure 100% bacterial eradication.

There are some things which can ease your discomfort,

The first is to get some rest and that requires little or no effort.

To get that pain in the throat arrested,

Drinking warm fluids is highly suggested.

Eating food which has a texture that is smooth,

Also has the ability to soothe.

From dry air your throat can become irritated,

But by using a humidifier, this can be eliminated.

Warm salt water gargles has been given recommendation,

To further alleviate this painful situation.

Based on the severity of your grief,

OTC lozenges and pain-killers can bring relief.

When your tonsillitis is persistent,

Or, its occurrence is recurrent.

When its size hinders you from eating,

Or, more seriously, from breathing,

Your doctor will schedule its removal by surgery,

And this procedure is called a tonsillectomy.

©Copyright 21st October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

The word itis commonly has its meaning attached to food,

That feeling of lethargy after eating which changes your mood.

Today however we view it from its indication,

That a specific body part is characterized by inflammation,

And there is an abnormal microbe invasion and multiplication,

Of parasite, bacteria or virus, which usually spells out an infection.

To our tonsils our attention we devote
Those two small glands at the back of our throat
Acting as filters they fulfill their purpose,
By trapping germs that could otherwise hurt us.
They produce antibodies,
That help us to fight off disease.
However they can sometimes be overwhelmed by bacteria or virus,
Resulting in tonsillitis which is very undesirous.
These glands swell and become enflamed,
And for the pain experience, this occurrence is to be blamed.
Throat pain or tenderness,
With tonsils showing a picture of redness.
A coating may show on the tonsils that is white or yellow in colour,
While your throat may be afflicted by blisters or an ulcer.
Because of the connectedness of your throat and facial anatonomy,
Headache and earache are added to your agony.
The lymph glands in the neck or jaw area,
Can also become swollen or tender.
It may become difficult to swallow what you bite ,
And that’s one reason for loss of appetite.
Another indicator of this infectious status,
Are chills or fever above 38 degrees celsius
Here I bring an end to part one,
Because of the vast amount of information
Part two will deal with the mode of treatment,
That is used to fight this tonsillitis ailment.


©Copyright 20th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Last night in our accountability group meeting,
One of our members used this term to describe her feeling,

‘Scrambled egg head’… Yes that is what she said.
The term paints a picture of thought confusion,
Just the way yolk and albumin are whisked into a union.

On each other’s path, thoughts jump in and out,

Causing forgetfulness of what you’re doing or what you were talking about.
How do you calm these thoughts from bouncing around in your brain,
And create order within that thought domain?
Here are some tips for scrambled egg head,
Found in an article which I recently read.

Turn down the volume of mainstream media,

As it can be very influential on your thoughts and ideas.

Schedule some time to meditate,

As inner peace is what this practice helps to create.

Your diet can affect your thought process,

So make it one in which nutritional value is at its best.

Integrate a bit of exercise into your daily routine,
As a healthy body and mind works best together as a team.
Include rest on your day off or off time,

Even though, to workaholics, this may seem as a crime.
Do a bit more of the thing that you enjoy,

And your thoughts will follow this new employ.

Last but not least, journal your thoughts to eliminate the clutter,

As written thoughts make it easier to say the things that do matter.

I encourage you to take a firm grip of that frying pan
To sort out that ‘scrambled egg head’ as quick as you can 

©Copyright 19th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Today is the Divali holiday in Trinidad and Tobago.

Divali is the Hindu Festival of Lights, if you didn't know .

In order to appreciate the light’s illumination,

It is necessary to have favorable weather condition.

Today however, the skies opened with a continuous downpour,

Just when you thought the rain had ceased, down came a bit more.

Plans fell through to visit my friends and family,

Because I felt home, in this weather, was the best place to be.

Today was a perfect depiction,

Of the term ‘rain on your parade’ in action.

So, trying to make some lime juice with that downpour of lime,

I thought i would do some focused work online.

However after a very visible bolt of lightning,

And some horrendous thunder rolling,

Sudden power outage is what we had to face,

Which then brought an eerie silence to the place.

No play, no work could be done,

So sleep was the next best option.

What did brighten up my evening,

Wasn’t the lights that many were anticipating.

It was the fact that my neighbours kept me in mind,

Dinner was supplied, and their generosity truly shined.

East Indian cuisine to full the stomach and the heart,

A satisfying end to an unfavorable start.

Divali is being celebrated by the Hindu community tomorrow,

And the memories created should be of joy and not sorrow.

Apart from the bamboo bursting and the deya lighting,

Fireworks display is a major part of the celebrating.

Too many times,however,the celebration can turn into a tragedy,

When little or no attention is paid to fireworks safety.

The following tips are meant to raise your awareness,

So that all your Divali memories are ones of happiness.

Keep a large bucket of water in close proximity,

Just in case it is needed to douse a fire immediately.

Have your first aid kit equipped and ready,

It should be inclusive of medication for minor burn injury.

Wear clothes that are well fitted and made of cotton fabric,

Since for can catch easily on clothes that are synthetic.

Fireworks should be lit in areas that unenclosed,

Anything else is a recipe for disaster being composed.

When lighting the fireworks, be at a safe distance,

Be at least an arms length away, for instance.

Or, when lighting you can use a long incense stick,

It adds to the safety distance, which is quite a handy trick.

Do not attempt to relight a fire cracker,

As left over spark can place you in grave danger.

A rocket is intended to shoot towards the sky,

So horizontally, in your hands, at people or buildings, please do NOT try.

To avoid any undesirable injury or result,

All children should be supervised by a responsible adult.

This morning I went to the grocery with a list,

But it turned out there were a few things i did miss.

Obviously this would affect my projected total,

Since lately prices change at regular intervals.

At this point I stress the importance of having a meal plan,

Otherwise grocery shopping can get out of hand.

Lingering unnecessarily in the grocery is never a good notion,

As to buy more items, greater is the attraction.

Satisfying that basic human right to food,

Is a necessary, daily task to be pursued.

The travail of grocery shopping, ironically, I do appreciate,

As there are people worldwide in such a poverty stricken state,

Who are unable to breakfast, lunch or dinner participate,

Because desperate hunger is the one who now dominates.

On that note, today is World food Day internationally,

And the message of #ZeroHunger is conveyed passionately.

It involves ensuring food security and nutritious diets for all,

Which is a huge task when there is a food shortfall.

When nutritious food cannot be afforded or accessed by families,

It can lead to a rise in nutrition related diseases.

Many of the world’s problems are rooted in poverty,

A scourge that should be fought against by every authority.

©Copyright 16th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Symptoms can only be described by the person experiencing them,

Whereas signs are indicators of an existing problem.

When both signs and symptoms do appear,

They can bring clarity to a situation which was once unclear.

Today I present some brief but vital facts,

On the most common symptoms of a heart attack.

Some symptoms occur and it is not affiliated with the heart,

But because of the stomach's proximity it is difficult to tell them apart.

Heartburn, stomachache, gallbladder, panic or anxiety,

Are some misinterpreted symptoms that are ruled out eventually.

Heart attack symptoms can last thirty minutes or longer,

And can start off mild then gradually become stronger.

Discomfort, pressure, heaviness or chest pain,

Are the most common symptoms individuals obtain.

Fullness, indigestion or a choking feeling,

Sweating, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.

Heartbeat that is rapid or irregular,

Extreme weakness and shortness of breath, in particular.

Once these symptoms become signs that are evident,

To reduce damage to the heart, seek immediate emergency treatment.

©Copyright 15th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

Today is just one of those days,

In which, for writing, I have no craze.

Inspiration is at an all time low,

As like a clogged drain, these words have no flow.

I'm writing like molasses on an uphill climb,

Never before did a poem take so much time.

These lines are just to keep on the goal,

As I refuse to let failure take a hold.

Truly hurdles in the challenge do exist,

I'm halfway there so I must persist.

I know I'll look back on this 44th day,

After I've climbed that 90th stairway.

©Copyright 14th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

The ability of sight and vision go hand in hand,

As they enable us to appreciate all of God's creation.

Sight involves capturing images to be converted,

While vision gives these images meaning, as by the brain it is interpreted.

Our eyes are the bearer of this synergy,

So we must do our best to keep this interaction working effectively.

Statistics from World Sight Day show,

That 80% of the world's blind are avoidably so.

This means that blindness could have been treated or prevented,

If the proper measures were implemented.

Vision loss is not just the lack of seeing,

For it has profound effects on health and wellbeing.

It also doesn't need to be an inevitable part of the aging process,

Since technology has improved treatment which can be easily accessed.

To protect your eyes from decline,

Consider these simple guidelines.

Does your family's health history include high blood pressure or diabetes,

Because these place you at a higher risk for eye disease.

Regular physical exams should be a priority,

So early treatment can be initiated, if necessary.

Look for the warning signs that will let you know,

Straight away to the doctor is where you should go.

Red eyes, floaters, eye pain and swelling,

Double vision, hazy vision or just difficulty seeing.

A bit of exercise is always a plus,

And for the UV rays, wearing a sunglasses is a must.

Observing these precautionary measures is paramount,

If you really want to make vision count.

This morning I went to the market to get some supplies,

And oh how it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The market vendor was talking to a mister,

Who had a voice that struck me as familiar.

To my view his back was turned,

So his face, I was not able to discern.

But as their conversation went on,

My primary school was mentioned.

With curiosity peaked,

To this gentleman I had to speak.

Lo and behold when I enquired,

My questions were readily answered.

It was actually my past standard two teacher,

And only then did face and voice coincided with each other.

At that time in school I would have been seven years old,

But amazingly he remembered my name and that of my entire household.

We exchanged a warm embrace,

And I was glad that I stopped at the marketplace.

When I replay that piece of primary school memory,

Only pleasant ones I have of "Teacher Mackee".

He made sure we had a balance of academics and extracurricular activity,

Always encouraging us to be all that we could possibly be.

©Copyright 12th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

XX is the chromosome combination,

By which girls are given identification.

However their sense of self is given confirmation,

When some key elements are placed in the foundation.

One such element is the mother to daughter relation,

Which should be an asset rather than a complication.

In this poem I give it some attention,

Because of today's International Day of the Girl celebration.

That maternal warmth experienced from birth,

Is the blanket of security which increases a girl's self worth.

When, throughout life, this connection is preserved,

A girl can confidently demand the things that she deserves.

Mothers your set example is the etched template,

So be mindful of the actions and ideas which you circulate.

For this relationship to truly empower,

Focus on the positive rather than the failure.

Demonstrate love that is unconditional,

And respect that is mutual.

Establish some healthy boundaries,

So that there is less opportunity for apologies.

It's been said that girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice,

But added to that is some sober motherly advice.

Girls need a mother who they can look up to,

To reassure them of their worth and value.

Today I spent some time with my mother,

Once a girl, now a woman, I wouldn't trade her for any other.

©Copyright 11th October 2017 by Amanda Jones. All rights reserved.

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