Photo: Kenny Joseph

The beautiful red and white lilies remind me of the many ways we mix and match our national colours in decorating for Independence. Artists have rated our national flag as the sixth most beautiful flag in the world. No medal for that?

The red in our flag represents the vitality, courage and friendliness of our people. The white stands for the purity of our national aspirations. The black represents the strength, unity and purpose of our people as well as the natural wealth of our land. Together the colours represent the elements – fire, water and earth.

In the photo our colours are set against a background of green, yellow and black, recalling the events of the Olympics as our proud achievements were viewed against the record- breaking feats of the Jamaicans on the world stage. This brings a reality check to us as we celebrate.

The puppy love of our adolescence gives way to the mature love of a forty-six year relationship. Our love for our dear T&T is planted in the black soil of the Caribbean. We pass the baton to our young people.