Today’s Affirmation

Today I give as freely as I can.

Today’s affirmation wasnt very creative because today my country celebrates Emancipation Day.

Just a brief history on Emancipation: The Emancipation Bill was presented in Parliament by Thomas Buxton in 1833 and the Act came into effect on August 1, 1834. On August 1, 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the first country in the world to declare a national holiday to commemorate the abolition of slavery. The Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad and Tobago was founded 20 years and they have been commemorating Emancipation withe public lectures, trade shows, concerts and presentations.

Some 20 years later what is the relevance of our ESC? They are still begging the government for money to the tune of $7 million, so what is their relevance if they cannot be self-sufficient or garner more corporate support or support from the general public? Which begs the question, what does Emancipation mean for the average Trinidadian?

Emancipation Day for me, is usually a time of reflection coming so close after my birthday. I’m usually still in introspection mode so I’m always mindful of the areas in my life where I’m not truly free. Financial freedom remains somewhat elusive, as is the freedom to do the work that makes me truly happy and the freedom to express my true self without fear of who that Vernette is.

Today was no different. Five more months left in the year and I’m re-evaluating where I am and what needs to be done to get me there. Now is as good a time as any to start on some goals, just in time too, as one goal is close to being achieved. Today marks the penultimate day of my 29-Gift journey.

This has been an exercise in freeing my mind and thoughts on what giving truly entails. The most satisfying of my gifts were the intangible ones, the gifts that required I give of myself and my time rather than something material. Today’s gift, was patronizing an Emancipation Breakfast put on by a group of ladies raising funds for the Cyril Ross Nursery. I will admit, the only reason I took the ticket initially, which was given to me before I started my 29-Day journey, was because the Nursery is important in maintaining the health of the thirty-five children in their care ensuring that they get the best attention and Antiretroviral medication, which they must take.

Freedom means something totally different to these children. Looking at this breakfast fundraiser 29 days later, through different eyes, I decided to give a small donation along with the cost of the ticket. For me, this is not about the money but what this money means in the context of the best care for these children. That’s the intangible stuff I’m talking about. I will never know how far my donation will go towards helping the Nursery make the lives of these children just a little bit easier and that for me cannot be measured.