Tribute to Karen Smith Jamaican song bird

THE GLEANER, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | E6 TRIBUTE TO KAREN SMITH Karen: My precious niece You were a doer and a giver. Whatever you did was done with LOVE, and Whatever you gave was given with more LOVE. For you, love was more than a noun, it was a verb. It was caring, sharing, helping. It was endless love. As you always said to end all our conversations Lots of love, Aunt Joy Rest up, Smithsonian I cannot say it doesn’t seem like a bad dream. When you know someone who is all around awesome, her passing was unreal to me. Karen, aka ‘Smithsonian’, as I often called her, didn’t just light up a room with her beautiful voice, but she did it with her big, rich smile and her ever-charming personality. We spent time together, spoke, sent voice messages often. We laughed and joked about funny Jamaican videos, music and world events. Smithsonian was the ultimate cousin, daughter, mother and friend. She treated everyone with respect, showed real love, and was always caring. Never not smiling, never not checking on her friends or family. I don’t knowhow to make sense of this, but I cannot question the universe. Miss her, gonna keep them WhatsApp voice notes and messages deh, read and listen mi cousin voice an’ her laugh ova an’ ova again. That Karen Smith will be remembered for a very long time. Rest up, Smithsonian; sing with the other great ones in Heaven. – Cousin Carl McGregor Don Blanding’s poem, Aloha Oe : its Meaning, reflects my emotions as I ponder the loss of my beloved niece, Karen Smith. ALOHA OE: ITS MEANING It’s more than just an easy word for casual goodbye It’s gayer than a greeting and it’s sadder than a sigh It has the hurting poignancy, the pathos of a sob It’s sweeter than a youthful heart’s exquisite joyous throb It’s all the tender messages that words cannot convey It’s tears unshed and longing for a loved one gone away. It’s frailer than a spider-web and strong as leather thongs It’s fresh as dew on ginger blooms and older than the moon It’s in the little lullabies that native mothers croon It’s said a hundred different ways, in sadness and in joy Aloha means “I love you.” So, I say “Aloha oe.” In addition to her considerable talent for singing, Karen had a talent for loving. As her cousin Katie says of this poem, Karen greeted everybody she ever met in the spirit of Aloha. – Uncle Desmond ALOHA OE: ITS MEANING From left: Karen Smith, uncle Desmond Jolly and Coleen McGregor Joy Jolly (left), Karen Smith’s aunt, and Barbara Smith, her mom. SIP, ‘Smithy’ My dear cousin, Karen, also referred to by me as ‘Smithy’. “My Dear Miss Col, My Dear Cousin, or Sweet Girl” were the greetings she gave me. She was generous with her time and offered her love ❤️ of singing to all. You can imagine the impromptu concerts in our homes. She made the musical scale, ‘Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do’, sound so melodious. It was her joy to share her beautiful gift from God and I was one of the loudest supporters, “You go, Smithy.” SIP, Smithy. Your legacy will continue through time. – Cousin Colleen McGregor