Book Three Products from Under the Old Naseberry Tree: The Coming of Age

By Hortense M. Jenkins

For many members of the Hall family, a giant naseberry tree near their home in Jamaica served as a dear friend and confidant. It was a place of comfort and discussion, where children learned to mimic adults in speech and lifestyle.

In Book Three Products from Under the Old Naseberry Tree, author Hortense M. Jenkins builds recollections of her family’s history, development, and faith around the memory of the naseberry tree. She explores undying love in the midst of strain, disappointment, and the rough edges of life, examining the ups and downs that many of the family encountered along the way. Although the family had few luxuries, they were happy. The family’s children never lost hope; God never gave up on them, and they never left His presence. And as a result of the foundation laid early in their lives, the Hall children excelled in most of their undertakings.

Enhanced with scripture references throughout, this personal narrative shares the history of a family and explores the lessons that their growth and faith can teach others.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781480885028

Hortense M. Jenkins

Hortense M. Jenkins believes that truth must be told from an early age where growth can continue. Belinda Bell is her sixth book.

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Copyright © 2020 Hortense M. Jenkins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8503-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8501-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8502-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020900657

Archway Publishing rev. date: 01/30/2020

CONTENTS

Chapter 1     Time is the essence

Chapter 2     Production Graduation

Chapter 3     Journeying through the Ages

Chapter 4     The Blessed number Seven

Chapter 5     Mama’s Traveling Children

Chapter 6     Pearl

Chapter 7     Lincoln

Chapter 8     Elaine (deceased)

Chapter 9     Hazel

Chapter 10   The Travelling Wedding Dress

Chapter 11   Lloyd (Laro) (deceased)

Chapter 12   Raphael (Tup Tup) (deceased)

Chapter 13   Vincent Ffrench Lawrence (Mack) (deceased)

Chapter 14   William George Lawrence (Panton)

Chapter 15   The Pig Fee

Chapter 16   Leslie Lloyd Lawrence Jr. (Gary)

Chapter 17   Hortense Maud Jenkins Lawrence (Tense)

Chapter 18   Position Upgraded

Chapter 20   Back on Jamaica’s Soil

Chapter 21   An Encounter With The Lord

Chapter 22   The New Me

Chapter 23   My first Book

Chapter 24   The Essence of my Writing

Chapter 25   Poems from the heart.

Chapter 26   The Romance of Yesteryear

Chapter 27   Indelible Words from the archives of Hortense M. Lawrence 1965.

Chapter 28   Painful Reflections

Chapter 29   Eyes on Election

Chapter 30   The Roaring Sea

Chapter 29   Lost On The Bluff

Chapter 31   The Deplorable Condition Around and About Clarksonville

Chapter 32   Truth be Told

Part One

Chapter 33   The fourth generation

Chapter 34   The fifth Generation

Chapter 35   Shame and disgrace

Part Two

Chapter 36   The Big Search

Chapter 37   The Preacher’s Sermon (Part one)

Chapter 38   Sturge Town Primary School

Chapter 39   Our Children’s Children

Chapter 40   Harvest Day at Sturge Town Primary School

Chapter 41   My Wilderness

Chapter 42   Some Definition

Chapter 43   The Coconut Craze

Chapter 44   Coconut’s three Eyes.

Chapter 45   Mama’s Daily Oil Production By The ‘Kip’

Epilogue

CHAPTER 1

Time is the essence

W E REALIZED THAT SHORTLY AFTER CREATION man’s downfall came because of disobedience in that beautiful garden that had everything given to us by God; the Creator. There was only one stipulation—’do not eat from THAT TREE’. For the day you do, ‘YOU SHALL DIE’. (Genesis 2: 8—9) You shall eat from every other Tree in this Garden, but of the Tree of good and evil, you must not eat. Genesis 1 verse 11 and 12 …

And God said: let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit trees, yielding fruits after its kind whose seed is in itself upon the earth, and it was so.

In verse three of chapter one of Genesis, the first of a highly structured series of succinct formulaic sentences: "And God said … Expressing the creative commands of God. Thus Creation is accomplished by His word.

Each command consist of:

{1} An announcement, God Said.

{2} A creative command, Let There Be.

{3} A summary word of accomplishment, And It Was So.

{4} A descriptive word of accomplishment, The Earth Brought forth.

{5} A descriptive blessing, God Blesses.

{6} An evaluative approval, It Was Good.

{7} A concluding temporal framework, numbering each day.

1. Dare anyone to refute God’s Creative Expressions without having to pay the penalty. Everything about His Creation was, and still is good. The fruit bearing Naseberry Tree that was home to the stinking black ants, the ever changing colors of the resident lizard, the stopover for the rat bats, and the Queen Bee with her followers were all part of God’s plans. It was a well thought of plan that was, before the foundations of the world was laid; accompanied by a very attractive environment. During that time, we could not have seen it, not even the grown-ups, but our young minds records the then happenings and stored it for today’s reference. God saw that it was good; and it was good.

The little trepidation caused by the occupants and temporary passers-bye, did not and could not stop our progress. Our paths were compassed by God’s personal acknowledgement of His expression; of His Creation—’it was good’. What is good in God’s sight will remain that way, because only He can see the depth of good and evil, as well as potentials. Man looked at the surface, God sees the depth; because He created both surfaced and depth—there is a difference.

The Hall family of Clarksonville District did not just happen to be huge; God created the first and the other generations before them and whoever is removed shall be replaced since God has not yet returned for His world. He will continue to remove and replace, while He sends rain on the Just and on the Unjust as well as allowing the wheat and tears to grow until harvest time.

Life under the Old Naseberry Tree was picture-perfect from a four to seven year-old point-of-view. Because without a child’s mind being warped by a grown-up all they can see is innocence. And innocence only created by God. When God gave the command to Adam to eat of every tree except ‘That Tree’, ‘because the day you eat of it you shall surly die’. (Genesis 2:17) Innocence was warped by a source other than man; even so that source was God’s Creation also; He created them all.

Under the Old Naseberry Tree, our innocence could have been warped if we were afraid of the stinking black ants, the rat bats, or the Queen Bee and her followers, we did not allow fear to get the better of us until we have to face the world of grown-ups.

In many ways, the shelter of the Old Naseberry Tree helped to secure our innocence. As I looked back over the years as a six year-old, how many of us pretended that we were talking to God when we tried to hug the gigantic tree trunk confiding in it, asking it to tell God things that we do not want to share with anyone; especially grown-ups? Yes! There were things that we shared with some of our classmates, cousins and friends, but there are still some very delicate things—at least that is how we saw it at the time; very delicate, that we do not want to share with no one else but the Old Naseberry Tree.

We know that the tree would not tell anyone but God; how? Don’t ask me, because I never found out how that worked. And sometimes we waited for responses that never came. Maybe it came and we did not understand because of the language barrier.

We spoke and the tree is silent, which taught us to stop and listen. Sometimes we stop and listen for answers; whether it came in different form/s, we have no idea, because we were not looking for results that way. Like it said in Psalm 40: 10, ‘Be still and know that I am God’ but whatever the responses, we knew our secrets were safe with the Old Naseberry Tree.

On our sewing days under the tree, while I waited for other family members and school friends to join me, before I had my little secret talk; I begged the tree to keep it for me. Some things are for the tree to keep, and some to tell God, it was far passed certain age when I realized that I could tell God EVERYTHING. And I believe it was well kept, because that is what keep means.

Keep it until I am grown and I will return for my secrets that this beautiful tree kept for me and others over the years. And if I never returns no one will know about them. And since I grew up I realized that mine and the others secrets are safe because the tree is still standing, she is still in the prime of her fruit bearing years, and I shall return to retrieve mine and the others for another book. If I do not return, then my secret will remain with the tree; because it will not talk.

Many of what the past has produced from congregating Under the Old Naseberry Tree had been long gone. Though many are still around, it is not the same. In a sense, the many changes that did exist during those innocent years were good for many of us while some lost their footing, only to find it later on in life; and some never did.

All, except one member from the first generation has left this earth and the production from the second to the fifth generation is doing; some very well, others, extremely well; considering the times we are living in. The third and fourth generation’s line of accomplishments has soured, with the ever fast moving world of technology and choices of open doors, the world of career is about to reach the highest peak.

There were some late starters, some pushers/rushers, while others patiently waited. For they knew that: God giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increase their strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31) these verses teaches wisdom; because after the age of accountability we know that we must be careful not to rush to do things that are not ordered by the Lord. Or else, we have to start all over again.

The continued line of accomplishments from these Products from Under the Old Naseberry Tree is about to explode; while the ‘podium’ is being set for the fifth and sixth generation. There is no limit to the opportunities that awaits them, with one disappointing factor—many has turned their backs on their Creator.

As a member of the old school I found it difficult to talk with these later generations; because they are already exposed to a different kind of creation—evolution, and the kind of materials that are being presented to them to enhance their beliefs. It appeared as if it flew out of the pages of a non-fiction book.

There I arrived at the conclusion that these five and six year-olds’ level of understanding are already warped by grown-ups, over-developed, or the qualities of their influence on these young minds are a sentenced to a different kind of world. But we should all take into consideration that there is a penalty for this kind of teachings, behavior, information, tale—call it what you want; we shall pay for the desecration of a child’s mind.

The word of God tells us in so many ways. (1) In Proverbs 22:6) "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.’ (2) {Matthew 19:13, 14,15. Still in the book of (Matthew 18: vs. 6) ‘But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea’.

Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hand on them, and pray, and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said: Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. And He laid His hands on them and departed thence".

There are other scriptures that supports God’s truth concerning his little children. Whether it is not providing spiritual guidance for them, deprive them of such, seeking not to train them the way God said; or just not making any effort to prepare them for tomorrow’s church; it is a violation of God’s laws or His commands. The abused that grown-ups have instilled and still doing on children, heaven help us all; because God Almighty’s hand of wrath is about to let loose on us, and WOE!!! Be unto us in such a time as this.

We must be reminded what Jesus said in His word: Before one of His word pass, heaven and earth shall pass away. (Matthew 24:35) God do not go back on His words. God create the Heave and the earth; all that is within, and if He decide to destroy His own creation because we hurt one of His little children, we are in for a rude awakening. Before one of His word Pass … and God have some little words. In Exodus, after Moses’ attitude with God, he submitted himself and ask God: ‘Who should I tell Pharoah sent me? God replied: Tell him I Am sent you I AM. Well I is one word, and AM" is another, and if God is willing to give up His awesome Creation for one of His little child, we better stop and meditate, because He do not go back on His word.

We use our little children for our dirty, nasty, purposes; and not teaching them nothing about their Creator. Beware! Time is about to explode. He gave us time to repent—asked for His forgiveness, live according to His commands, but we are still hard hearted like the Israelites in times gone by; but the consequences are grave. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap.

(Galatians 6:7)

CHAPTER 2

Production Graduation

T he Teachers, Preachers, Lawyers, Doctors, Polices, Professors, etc. that was predicted by four, five, six, and seven year-olds at the time of ‘children’s conference’ Under The Old Naseberry Tree has paid off; to the fullest potential. Many of those young minds has accomplished their goals after joining the race of the adult world. And many are teaching their children to set future goals as technology dominates their generation; and I am hoping and praying that someone from the 40s, and 50s, somewhere, out there will send out a reminder saying: Do not forget the past, it is the door post on which the hinges of the future hangs. (HMJ)

During our time together under the Old Naseberry Tree, the career goals that we set or imagined, were more than one. Although some did not materialized, we did experience the joys of setting them; just the thoughts of dreaming about changes in our lives— what life would look like, where we would be, and how we would approach and react to such accomplishments. We never thought of disappointments. Our young minds did not foster that area of life, and when adulthood manifest ‘the other side, there and then ‘plan B’ was put into action. By then, it was a little too late for some; and a lot too late for others.

At that young age we were already accomplished, because the joys we felt knowing that God is right there with us and He is going to take us to the mountain top so that we can touch heaven; we were accomplished. The thoughts of just being a nurse, or a Doctor or a preacher at the same time, it’s like Jerimiah said: it’s like fire shut up in our bones. Maybe it was the thoughts of growing up and claim our rightful position in life, but many of us were very excited when we felt the need to produce on ‘career day Under The Old Naseberry Tree’, The bubbles became even bigger and brighter when I realized that: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’. {Philippians 4: 13.

A reminder that God sees us not from the surface, but from the heart; the depth of our soul. My father, the ring leader of the debating team Under the Old Naseberry Tree was very strong; physically, intellectually, and a great conversationalist.

Papa, the name my brothers and I called him, as well as some of his grandchildren, were enough to start teaching these young minds who were eager to learn from a man who was equally ready to teach. He first let us know the importance of the name; and his version of us calling him papa or father. Distinctly summarizing the two words, which to me, carries the same weight, but appears to be different with him.

The word Papa, he said, shows more of a close relationship between parent and child/children. The word Father is too distinguish—a reminder to always be on your ps. and qs; or the type of formality within the relationship that would sometimes leave a bad taste. If, within a family a member feels uneasy when making an approach then something is wrong; and knowing my Papa he would not accept that kind of emotion. And, please, never, never use the word ‘Pop’ around my father. In Papa’s vocabulary that is a no-no. Please do not ask me by what means he arrived at those conclusion, but that was ‘my Papa’s laws’. I never changed it then, and I am not about to do so at this stage of my life.

Strange how we grew up into the British Colony where the distinguish name ‘Father’ was the household name used to addressed the man of the house, and ‘Pop’ was the socializer and common user, yet my father never adopt to those principles. Looking back now, it certainly was strange.

In the latter years of his life, when some of us were in our late teens, mid-teens, or early teens, we learned more and more how to accept Papa, converse with him on an adult level, and love him more as he discussed problem home-work with us.

My father had only a primary education but he could converse with anyone who has been to a higher learning institution. It was astonishing to see my father triumph over some of the ‘battles’ he had won with some of these people who claimed to be experts in their field. Although, he was not always the victor. I embarrassedly watched him squirm his way out of a debate one afternoon.

Silently, I wished the earth would open and swallowed him, and I would go with him; while I am sure he prayed for the immediate ‘release’ from Mother Earth. But it did not happen, he sat there and take his ‘medicine’ like a very proud man. It was days after we were together under the Custy tree (Custard Apple Tree,) we had lots of those fruit trees on our property in White Town; District of Clarksonville, in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica W.I.

As Papa and I sat there, in the cool from the 99o hot sun, I brought up the subject of that fateful day that almost drove him into ‘hibernation’. The past conversation that we both were trying to place on the back burner. I questioned his interest in wanting to go to night school to pick up from where he missed out in primary school. To my amazement, Papa burst into a fit of laughter that had him almost convulsed, and left me with a feeling of embarrassment

When he caught his breath, he asked me: ‘would you like to see your father coming from school with home-work and asking you or Lloyd to help me?’ Lloyd was my eldest brother, and very smart. Then he asked: what would Mama say? Ask her to come with you. I replied. He laughed out loud again, and I started to form a picture in my mind of him and Mama coming from school and we the children took over the responsibilities of parenting.

Feeling a little ‘off balance’ I dismissed the whole idea and said: Papa, you are wonderful as you are, I will finished the schooling for you. Gave him a hug and walked the few hundred yards away from the Custy Tree (custard apple) to the kitchen where Mama was waiting eagerly to hear what we were talking about. Mama, I said, you do not want to get into this right now; maybe tomorrow, mama, but not now. I pleaded and confirmed in the same tone of voice.

My father was born in the lower area of St. Ann; Hampstead district, on the North Coast of Jamaica. He told me he met Mama when he was working in a supermarket in St. Ann’s Bay. That is as far as I can remember of their meeting, courting, and becoming a couple in the late thirties to early forties; and for one thing, I am very sure, my father was not a resident of Clarksonville District; when he started courting Mama, then the back and forth travelling began.

Our grandmother; my mother’s mother, the matriarch of the family was the center of attention, from whatever point-of-view you are looking at, she will receive or give her attention.

Many of us third generation did not know our grandfather from our mother’s side of family, but Mummy, Mum, Gramma, Miss Tina, Miss Celestina Christie, or plain miss Celestina Hall; choose one. Those were the names commanding respect that my grandmother would respond to, and she told us all we need to know about him. Bob, my grandfather’s name was never quite known to us until we were in our early or late teens as the pronunciation we knew was {Baab} instead of Bob, and we had learn to cope with it and because of our dialect we found no harm in its improper use.

Improvisation came with changes under the Old Naseberry Tree during school days, as we planned and imagined our future, we were reminded that diction, clarity, pronunciation, and comprehension was the order of the day to have and to hold a job that would enable us to climb the ladder of success.

Our creative abilities were not enough and so we turn our attention to God and prayed; giving Him the hardest part of the job and give the giant Naseberry Tree the simplest. We knew that God have everything under His control so there was no need to worry; and since the Old Tree is still standing, that too, offers more comfort and erase any little doubts we may have had.

Many of us had entered the arena of confusion; I guess we had ask for more than we can manage, but since we had ask God before to have complete control, He did just that and when the pathway becomes rocky we remembered we had laid up treasures in heaven, where nothing can corrode it. "Praise God for layaway prayers!!" (Matthew 6:vs 19—21)

In many of the most difficult times when we cannot find the right words or the strength to pray, and it seems as if the world is caving in, all we can say: ‘Lord have mercy, or Lord please remember when I asked you to do this or that for me; well please Lord do it right now’. That is laid up ‘treasures’—prayers that only God can reach, because He had stored it up awhile back knowing that we were going to need it. What a mighty God we serve!!!.

CHAPTER 3

Journeying through the Ages

A S THE THIRD GENERATION left their marks on the threshold of time, the fourth and fifth should be preparing their invocation for such a time as this—the time of technology. God knows it is a wonderful time, a beautiful time, a time that this generation breathe technology. A time that many put God aside, suffocate prayers in our class rooms, subtract relationships from the ‘building blocks’ of God’s creation, while others are trying desperately hard to re-create His world.

It is a long and hard journey to travel without the saving grace of God Almighty. Technology, evolution, or whatever one wants to call it, cannot be done without the intervention of God. Many of this generation knows that they cannot make it without Him, and although they are climbing the ladder of success they realized that the journey has only just begun.

God knew all about it before the foundations of the world was laid. He gave man the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to do just what they are doing now. He did not give it for us to destroy ourselves. As it is right now; it seems as if there is no limit to man’s knowledge, and abilities. Their capabilities seems as if it can stretch from one ends of the earth to the other; and so there are no limitations. And God watched to see how far many of us can go with our acquired knowledge until some of us almost while the others completely destroy ourselves. Many of us never stop to thank Him for His blessings and asked Him to show us how to use it wisely or count it; instead we became very greedy and asked for more, and more, until we become slaves to ourselves or our ‘worst enemies’.

What many fail to see, is that no matter how clear the way looks without the compass of the Holy Spirit No One can see around the corner. No One can see the danger that lies ahead, regardless of the clarity of the journey without the ‘Compass of Life’—the Holy Spirit.

It is not unusual for me or anyone to falter, fail or fumble along life’s journey; sometimes falling flat on our faces, even with the Compass of life things happens; but there is guaranteed assurance that He promised never to leave me or forsake me. The trust and faith is the key to this Compass.

Many of the Grand and Great Grand Children of Celestina Hall has left their marks in the sands of time. Many have catapulted to great heights; some known some unknown. Their position in life is well stabled. Of Mummy’s nine children, (I later learned that Mummy had two boys before her first daughter, and their names were London and Helkanah); which would leave her with the lucky number seven, had they been alive today, and giving birth to eleven, instead of nine.

From what I was told of these two boys that died at a young age, is very baffling, why would four of my grandmother’s five boys died? Of course Willie and Lukie died when they were very grown. I never knew Willie, but I knew Lukie, Doctor was his pet name.

Doctor and all of us had a wonderful relationship during his lifetime. And they died in their thirties without having any children and leaving her without grandchildren, (unknowingly) so she capitalized on the seven that was left and her blessings never stopped. She has been gone for over three decades but her memory lives on, her teachings continued to enlightened, her demeanor portrays a life well lived, and is copied by many of us.

As she aged, her blessings multiplied; she was truly a virtuous woman. Even on her dying bed her comportment was noticed as she prepared to meet her Maker; the special person that God created laid motionless with labored breath as Jennifer; her third generation and myself stood and watched. Yes she was a virtuous woman. May she continued to be blessed as we her offsprings continued to live her legacies.

ALONG THE JOURNEY to accomplishment, at times the road becomes very rocky, with giant pot holes, the pavement seems long and winding, and sometimes it feels as if we are on this journey by ourselves. Many times the distractions are so overwhelming that the need to go on seems futile and discouragement sets in to abandon our goal. Many did, and regretted it; while other pushed on through the storm, knowing that there is a calm somewhere; whether near or far.

Then there were times for reflections; reflections from the ‘classroom of Under the Old Naseberry Tree’; reflections of how God promised He would never leave me or forsake me. Those comforting promises were strength for the journey which enabled me and others to continue. When many of us left