Thirty-second Christmas at the Palms
Harold Heywood looks back on his life
By Iana Seales
Stabroek News
December 25, 2004
Since 1972 Harold Heywood has spent every Christmas at the Palms, where he usually sits on a bed holding his battered banjo, enjoying the day like he used to when he had his family.
Whimsical and spirited despite losing his sight many years ago, the elderly Heywood is a known character in the Palms. His regular wisecracks lighten the atmosphere in the male block, where several elderly men pass their days. Heywood recently sat down with Stabroek News to share his story.
It was a cool day in 1972 when someone from Heywood's church took him to the Palms. According to him, it was the only choice since he was unable to do anything for himself, or even provide for his two children. He said that losing his sight had everything to do with his helplessness. He recalls that things were so bad with him, his children had to live off public assistance, because it was not in his hands any more.
Born in Hopetown, Berbice in 1924, Heywood said he went to school in Canje until age of 16 years, when he was called upon by his parents to seek employment. At that time, he recalls the only job available was work at the Blairmont Estate as an engineer. He later took up the job, but never found satisfaction in it. Heywood said he left and turned to boat-building, since his father was doing the same thing. He said that one day while building a canoe, he was hit in the face with a flying splinter and later lost his sight.
This, he said, was after he had met a woman and was living at home with her. He fathered two children: a boy whom he called Samuel and a girl, Patricia. Heywood could not remember much about the children; all he could say was that they paid him a visit whenever they felt like it. However, he said, such things don't bother him any more, since he has made the Palms his home and the only family he knows is the people there.
Christmas for Heywood is a "blessing." The elderly man said it is the only time he can expect something and actually get it, and all he ever looks forward to is a few pieces of clothing. He said Christmas nowadays was nothing like "longtime."
"People crying out about the times now me child, is nothing like long ago when people just used to bring things at the Palms and give we. But, I can't blame people is how the country deh."
In the years that he has been at the Palms, Heywood said he had only one regret, and that was not receiving the old age pension any more. He said government made a rule regarding pensioners in the institution, which said that they were no longer entitled to a pension because the Palms was government run. According to him, this had been extremely hard since he could no longer purchase the little things he used to.
At Christmas Heywood said he felt "blessed" to receive a home-cooked plate of pepperpot and some bread. According to him, it brought back warm memories of home, even though home did not have much to look forward to. Heywood said that he was an only child, so there never were large family gatherings at Christmas. The only large get-togethers he has known are those spent at Palms. He said that church people would visit him around this time and spend a few hours with him singing carols and so on.
For Heywood, he has only had one Christmas wish every year, and that is to live out his days comfortably. He also has hopes of playing his banjo again, which is now rusted and has lost all its strings. The elderly man said he would sometimes sit on his bed and hope that God could restore his sight for a few minutes before calling him to the great beyond.