Not useful for building houses or furniture,
In Jamaica
the wood of the tree they call Never Dead,
Is used to build caskets
Or, it seems, nothing at all.
In a land of tropical storms, fierce hurricanes,
And a people of great mystery
the Never Dead Tree gets its name,
they tell me,
because, even after damaged in high winds
or toppled over in a hurricane
it grows back.
I first noticed the Never Dead
Growing in the distance
amongst the other trees in the jungle,
just behind our house.
In the Jamaican Winter months
It sprouts red flowers…
revealing even more, and with style
Its “never dying ” ability.
Intriguing,
To think about, really
a tree,
not useful for very much
considered too weak, and perhaps rightly so,
to build things that we want to last.
Proving in its’ resilience-
the power of softness.
In the face of some of the most powerful forces in the world.
In spite of the tribulation, it lives
it last…
with style.
Jamaicans smartly use
The soft wood of the Never Dead Tree
To hold the dead bodies of their loved ones.
I think they might
Be making a point…
Or two.
We welcome Sr Sophia Peters, a second year novice, who joins us for 19 days while Sr Naomi is off island attending to business in the Holy Land. Sr Sophia was a big surprise for Sr Marcia who for weeks was told that the Postulant, Britt, would be arriving. Needless to say Sr Marcia did a double take as Sr Sophia exited the Immigration Hall. The word around Meriden is... we got her! 
This year at Synod St Mary's Dancers were invited to perform a dance during the Morning Prayer Service prepared by the Religious Sister of the Archdiocese. Here you see the pastor, Fr Michael, posing with the Spirit Dancers.
Today in schools across the island children are celebrating Reading Day. Here at St. Mary's All Age we started with a devotional (prayer service) in Church, then over to the auditorium for reading competition and prizes. Here you can see the children doing an item at the Devotional, Br Michael reading The Giving Tree (with the assistance of Akeem/Grade 6) a
nd then students went down to the 
Cupertino Program for reading with Miss Kadian. [In a country where illiteracy runs 40-54% depending on when you exit school, we should have reading day more often!]
