Robert Lalah, Staff Reporter
THERE WILL be no Christmas this year, at the home of 65-year-old Donella Walker who resides in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Mrs. Walker's grandson was shot and killed earlier this year, while on his way home from work.
The retired shopkeeper is one of many Jamaicans who will, for the first time, be forced to spend the Christmas holidays alone. This, as their loved ones have fallen victim to the record rate of killings that occurred this year.
Sitting on a rickety rocking chair on the verandah of her home where her grandson played marbles as a boy, Mrs. Walker had noticeable difficulty talking about her loss. "Nothing like Christmas. That done now. Mi grandson an me alone did live and now is me one. Mi nuh feel nothing like Christmas this year at all," she said.
FEELING EMPTY
Miles away in Clarendon, at the home of 77-year-old Uvalyn Maxwell, the mood was the same. The sun-browned leaves of the pine tree at the front of her home told the tale of her expectations for the holidays. Mrs. Maxwell's daughter Diana, was shot and killed on November 28, while holding her newborn baby in her arms, just beside the spot where the antiquated tree still stands.
"Nothing like that. Diana was mi foot an mi hand. Mi just feel worse inna dis time. Mi feel empty," said the frail looking woman with a bewildered expression on her face.
The feeling of emptiness described by both women is understandable, said Mrs. Fern Anderson, administrative director at Back to the Bible counselling service, who told The Gleaner yesterday that people who lost loved ones this year should seek comfort in the meaning behind the season.
"It is really difficult to lose a loved one, especially when the loss is sudden and unexpected. The empty seat at the Christmas table will be a hard thing to deal with, but some comfort should be found when we remember that the holiday is about God sending his son to die for our sins," she said.
"God must have himself suffered when his son died on the cross. But Christmas is ultimately about hope. Since Jesus was born and died for us, we are able to have eternal life," added Ms. Anderson, who ended by quoting the words of a popular song: "Jesus leads us through no darker room than which He passed through Himself," she said.
