Water, Hymns and Memories

Early November, but recent flooding throughout Belize has made travel very difficult. Some places have been accessible only by boat. The three photos above have been taken from the Belize Community Web Forum. Their site will give you a good idea of the extent of the recent floods, and its effects on the people of Belize.

Locally the Western Highway was closed for a few days by rising waters. The nearby village of Roaring Creek did justice to its name. The water here is at least 20 feet higher than normal; the following day the water came over the top of the bridge.


One very minor consequence of the flooding, and the closure of all the schools in the district for a week, was that I had a very delayed school harvest festival in the last week of October.

The school provided a song sheet, which included two local versions of hymns that will be familiar to many of you. "All things bright and beautiful", and "We plough the fields and scatter". The children joined in singing them enthusiastically, surrounded by many of the plants and fruits they name.

All things bright and beautiful in the Caribbean land
In all things wise and wonderful our Lord he has a hand

Every little flower that opens, every tiny bird that sings
God gave them all their colours and pretty little wings...

The steep cool Cockscomb Mountain, the river running by
The sunrise and the sunset that paints the evening sky...

The heavy rains in season, the radiance of the sun
The fruit that always ripens, He made them everyone...

Tune: "We plough the fields and scatter"

In this our bounteous country, God smiles his sweetest smile
From ferny dell and covert, wild flowers our eyes beguile
Among the leafy branches the ripened mangoes sway
And green pimento berries make fragrant God's bright day

Praise him all ye people, with harvest hymns of joy
Oh, give to God your thank and praise, and love without alloy

The creamy breadfruit blossoms point upwards to the sky
To tell us God's rich blessings fall on us from on high
The canefields wave in greeting, glad in their verdant dress
And citrus fruit swing slowly in golden loveliness.
Praise him all ye people...

We thank thee for the sunlight, on each day newly born
That blends with rain in blessing the tender ears of corn
That ripens into beauty fair fruits of every kind
Bananas, pears, star-apples and cherries purple lined
Praise him all ye people...

Young coconuts encircle the warm heart of the trees
Beneath the green boughs hiding that rustle in the breeze
Nature her many voices each day with joy uplifts
Shall we not thank our Father for all his wondrous gifts?
Praise him all ye people...

Then this morning, on the closest Sunday to Nov 11th, I was invited to join members of staff from the British High Commission in laying a wreath for Remembrance Day here in Belmopan. We were a very small group; the main event was held at Memorial Park in Belize City.

Many Belizeans, with residents of other Caribbean countries, served with the allied forces as the British West Indies Regiment. A representative of the local "Ex-Services League" gave an interview this week in which he listed some of the ways in which Belizeans (the country was then known as British Honduras) contributed to the 1939-45 war:

"Some were Air Force men, some were sailors, some were ammunition workers in factories; some were soldiers; some even were woodcutters. A number of people don’t realize that it was from the Mahogany tree that most of these props were made for the airplane propellers. So we made a lot of contribution towards that.”