Nevispages weekly feature by Curtis Morton Sr
The way I see it, people ought to be appreciated. It is a natural part of human nature, to feel appreciated. So husbands need to occasionally show appreciation to their wives and vice versa. Parents ought to show appreciation to their children and vice versa. Bosses need to show appreciation to their workers and vice versa…and the list can go on.
The story is told of a man who was sitting in his living room, watching television with his wife and out of the blue, she said: ‘Roy do you love me?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied quite crudely. ‘But you have not told me that in years,’ she persisted. ‘I got married to you, didn’t I? I got married to you because I love you. If that ever changed, you would have been the first to know!’
Well I newa!
That is certainly not the way to express appreciation. I will get back to that, but I feel impressed at this time to share a brief testimony of the goodness of God. Whoever wants to say that there is no God, that is their business but I know for a fact that God is real.
I was doing my usual taxiing earlier this week and on this particular day, I felt a little tired and hungry and decided to go home for a respite. I pulled up close to my gate and rushed out of the vehicle. For all intents and purposes, I put the bus in first gear and pulled the handbrakes. Shortly thereafter, as I entered my home, I heard an incessant shouting from the roadside. Then my wife called out to me shouting: ‘The bus is running back!’
I raced out of the house in a mad rush and noticed that the bus had moved out of the previously parked position and was in the middle of the road. I raced towards it in a panic, jumped in, but by that time, amazingly, the bus was at a standstill. I hastily moved it into a proper parked position and this time put it in first gear and pulled the hand brakes so hard, I am sure I almost broke it off.
Now let’s put this into perspective:
The bus was parked near a Ghaut. If I had not pulled the handbrakes properly and maybe it ended up in third or in neutral when I thought it was first, when the bus started running back, how come it did not continue running straight to the Ghaut? Instead, it started towards the Ghaut, then veered right across the centre of the road and stopped.
There were no school children passing at the time and the lone vehicle in that usually rushed traffic time at Hull Ground, veered off the bus! You can try to logically reason it out, but in my mind’s eye, I could see when Satan and his imps started pushing that bus towards the Ghaut, my guardian angels came out and twisted it across the road and pulled up the handbrakes! I say it was a miracle and I continue to give God thanks.
Now back to appreciation.
In December, the Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority, recognized and duly expressed appreciation, to their hard-working staff, as is their custom. I think that the Authority needs to be especially commended, because their workers are often slighted by some members of the general public, despite their invaluable service to society.
Chairman Wallace even mentioned that on that very evening, he was due to go on his usual fishing expedition with some buddies and when he expressed the idea that he was going to the appreciation get together for the workers instead, one of his buddies literally wanted to know, why he was wasting time, with ‘those people.’ The Chairman to his credit expressed the view that his team at the NSWMA was important to him and to Nevis and showed up, instead of going fishing.
One worker was even awarded for SLEEPING ON THE JOB.
I know I got you there.
Yes. Sleeping on the job! This driver lives so far from the Landfill that he has difficulty getting to his truck at 3 am in the morning when his shift begins. So instead of sleeping at home with his wife, he seeps at the Landfill and is ready for work at 3 am. What a man…and what a wife! Obviously she approves because she was right there beaming when he received his special award.
So, these guys are out there, keeping our island clean – day in, night out – in dew, sun or rain. Let us show some appreciation man! Let us show them some love and when it’s Christmas time, it will not hurt to give them a little extra something.
I don’t mean anything that will hamper or hinder their work mind you! God wants us to show appreciation and we show real appreciation not just in words, but in action.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?