Preserving The Legacy: What our Mothers and Grandmas Taught us About Kindness and Community, by Yvette M. Blake Hall

Growing up as a child in Colleyville, Manchester, Jamaica. One of the many lessons my

grandmother Hazel Williams, who I call Mama, taught me was what it meant to be kind

and to give, if you had a little or a lot. She would say “if you don’t give when you have a

little, you won’t give when you have a lot.” Our family wasn’t of great financial means,

she was a widow, raising her children and even some of her grandchildren, including

myself. Yet she always reminded me that there were people who had less than us. Thus

she would always share and give from what she had. Whether it was vegetables such

as pumpkins and cho cho, or fruit such as ripe bananas from her garden, or the sweet

potato pudding she would often bake, she would share. And I was often tasked, much to

my displeasure, the responsibility of delivering to people in the community who were

shut-in or didn’t have much. Even at distances that weren’t close to our home. Similarly

during Christmas time, she would harvest sorrel from her garden, make the sorrel drink

from her own resources and send me off to do deliveries.

She was also given to hospitality and when someone visited our home, she would offer

whatever she had on hand, a cup of tea, some crackers, ripe bananas, oranges etc.

Mama also loved to help others out, often giving her labour for free. Whether helping out

at a neighbours farm or assisting a friend in need with housework. Visiting the sick and

bringing something to give, no matter how small, was also one of her heart’s delight.

When visiting the sick, she would say “don’t go wid yuh two long hand.” She would also

give words of encouragement and offer prayers for others near or far.

What a wonderful legacy to leave behind!

As we prepare for the inaugural launch of Hazel’s Prayer Inc. on November 1, 2025. We

reflect on the impact of our mothers and grandmothers and what they taught us about

being kind and caring to others. These are some of the many acts and lessons taught

that have emboldened us to start this charitable organization. Our hope is that their

efforts and what they instilled in us continue to touch many lives in the future.