No joy this Christmas for woman mourning dad

December 25 won't quite be Christmas this year.

That's the view of Claudette Brown of Hall in Clarendon, who said there'll be no joy for her or her son, who will turn 12 on Christmas Day.

Their usual ritual of having her father, Phillip Brown, around to celebrate his grandson’s birthday as she prepares a feast for them to enjoy will be no more.

This year, Ms Brown has no appetite for the traditional fares of the season, including mutton, as the pain of her dad's death on September 6 is still palpable.

Describing his death as sudden, she said that Mr Brown was taken to National Chest Hospital in St Andrew, when they learned for the first time that he had a heart condition. and she passed out on hearing the dreadful news of his less than three months ago.

Her blood pressure became unstable and she suffered headaches and endured sleepless nights, which drove her to seek counselling.

“Christmas will not be the same as last year, as last year, mi draw sorrel, bake cake, cook his food, bring it to him. Me and him sit down and have a family talk together. It was so good,” reminisced Ms Brown.

Ms Brown, who has six siblings, said that she had a very close relationship with her father, explaining that she would frequently seek his counsel in making decisions.

“My dad would say, 'Don’t do so and so', or he would say, 'Do it the correct way.' If I didn’t have certain stuff, he would say, ‘I will give it to you and my grandson',” she recalled.

Reminiscing on their relationship, Brown said that foremost in her memory were his broad smile and passion for cooking.

In fact, she said, it was he who imparted his culinary skills to her.

Picking up the pieces won’t be easy, but she is relying on the counselling sessions to see her through.

And even as she battles her own pain, she is urging others who are facing the same grief to undergo therapy.

cecelia.livingston@gleanerjm.com