Remembering Fairweather........
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF HENRY. C. FAIRWEATHER!
The 7 of OCTOBER, 2003...
Marks One Year Since Henry C. Fairweather Departed
And Was Replanted in the Belizean Earth......."when he stood up
he always seemed tall
when he lay down
he suddenly seemed small,
this sometimes happen
when giant mahoganies fall.."Mr. Henry Fairweather's work was motivated by his love for the poor and underpriveleged. He was imbued with a lifelong vision to help our people to walk out of poverty and overcome dependency. He was for all humanity and understood the meaning of dominion rather than domination..
"the moment that he was most inspired was when he discovered himself at seventy five ... never more alive .....wondering what to do.... and he asked God
" tell me again what you sent me here to do?"
and he paused and listened ..Everything that has happened to you is a message from me to you,
when you put it all together
I will hear you " and there was the answer
for the Fairweather Makeover .." I shall return to the land
from whence cometh my rejuvenation
and my inspiration ...and God smilingly answered
"Finally I am hearing you. "
There is a tide in the affairs of men
when taken at high tide .....
relights your pilot light
to guide you through the night
to the tune of the moon
and to new heights....while your companion sleeps....
and when day breaks your planted seeds have germinated...
and the future is bright ...for if uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
then there is no rest
for a head in which a seed idea has germinated...
and a life that is purpose generated.You cannot keep a good man down...
Keep him in obscurity...
He will respond creatively.You cannot keep a good man down
Least of all when he is armed with an idea
whose time has come....Then all the keeper downers in the world
And forces of gravity....
cannot keep a good man down
while his God given ideas unfurl
for they are for upliftment,
and if you prevaricate,
the spirit would levitate,
and the ideas disseminate,and there was Mr Fairweather coming with a mahogany tree in hand,
growing as fast as he can,
to the canopy,
away from sub umbra floreo ...He planted a mahogany tree in the midst of their hypocrisy,
it broke through the floor,
shouting sub umbra floreo,
no more.
lets reach for the sun
... before the day is done ..The beauty of Henry Fairweather's model is its simplicity and humility and its replicability ...for it can be done by the ordinary man and woman and the children too ...in communities throughout the land ..and around the globe...as we regain our humanity...
...His forthright action teaches that people do not have to wait for approval to think, to act and to help themselves .... and that given the encouragement they will make the choices and take the action that will benefit themselves and their offsprings today and tomorrow...
You do not need man's authority
to work for humanity
for humanity is God's ultimate plan
He showed us that we do not have to wait
for man to till the land that God gave us
... For the land is the palm of God's hand
Have faith in God's plan..
Like Rosa Parks and Martin,
and Mandela and Philip Goldson
and Paul Robeson, and George PriceThey knew when to stand
and were willing to pay the price
... and when to sit so that the whole world
would stand in dignity
Some people cannot see
... the forest for the trees
And other cannot see
... the trees for their blindness
... yet still others suffer from small mindedness..The more trees he planted
... the more he could see the forest
... and forests and trees are everywhere ..
With care God helped him to take mahogany reforestation out of the forests and bring it to the attention of our people and placed it where it belonged into the hearts of our people ..His actions lit the path for hesitant steps and still motivates us all to help ourselves. It is the best answer to the sense of disposability, and feelings of helplessness, and hopelessness that corporate globalization is spreading...
Mr.Fairweather said ... "..learn to recognize a blessing
and it would lessen miracle seeking "
He defined an era and set the standards
He redefined sustainability
From karaoke phrases
ecology of intermittency,
mediocrity and political expediency
.... To life long commitment
in the building of Sanctuary..God blessed Belize
with the life of Henry Fairweather
He knew that our peoples would need
all the help to cross the great divide
and he used Gods gifts fully
until the day he died " ....
He is famous for all the work in our infrastructure,
but as this century progresses
.... he will be even more famous for
bridging from century to century
..... and showing the way to global citizenry "
building ...bridges, bridges, and more bridges
.... crossing over the dicothomies,
and gulfs of separation,
leaps of faith across,
the bayous and swamps of desperation,
probing the impenetrables,
tracing untraceables,
reconciling the irreconcilables,
humanizing tribal trivialities,
our enhanced humanities,
are building the bridges,
to the next century.."He knew that there were no shortcuts to excellence,
or you would shortchange your life
into mere existence .....And that the basis of it was the belief in our Creator,
pursuit of vision dedication to principles,
and the results would be integrity,
the core of human morality,
and perseverance,
also called stickability,
the building block for our humanity.
And he applied these diligently in the building of our Sanctuary.Empowered by the original Source.
He authorized himself right throughout his life, and
called on all of us to become empowered builders,
to a new society, equal and just and free, Our Belizean Sanctuary for Humanity ..Mr.Fairweather died as he lived.
On Monday the 7 of October death came naturally, and this Belizean giant walked quietly away in the morning light,
after almost a century of shedding the light,
and was replanted in the soil from which he sprung.
In response to Belize's great loss.
"Among the historic post cards in the Belize Archives is a picture of an unusually large mahogany tree with the caption 'a fallen giant'For me the caption is synonymous to the passing of Henry C. Fairweather, a truly Belizean giant who gave all he could to leave behind a unique legacy which will benefit several generations.
His remarkably instructive life must force us to maximise the lessons learnt and put them to valuable use.Too often, we do not during the course of their lives recognize the invaluable contribution made by outstanding citizens like Mr. Fairweather... It is either a dying tribute or statements that mean nothing after a few days.
Our task then is to come together to chart the course for the sustainability of the work he started which must span generations....beginning with the youth.
