By Leighton Williams, Projects Coordinator

The following is an open prayer to God.

Most righteous, holy, everlasting Father, I give thee thanks for allowing us to see more than two months into the new year. But most of all, I thank you for Cricket World Cup 2007. God, I must ask your blessings upon the Inter-national Cricket Council (ICC) executive for allowing us to stage this event.

Lord, I know of late I have not given you thanks as I should, but I have to thank you for the Cricket World Cup. God, I have to thank you because for the first time since I started using the bus stop in front of the National Water Commission (NWC) on Mares-caux Road, I can stand under the bus shed and extend my hands up in the air to praise you without being stung by wasps. Lord, you are omniscient, so you know the number of wasp colonies that existed under that shed to the point where I panicked whenever I was on my way to work and had to stop there. I was also worried whenever it rained because the leaking roof ensured that I was soaked before I got a bus or a robot taxi to take me to work.

God, I must thank you for the new sidewalks along Marescaux Road too because the old ones often damaged my shoes if I stepped badly. Come to think of it, how many females lost their stiletto heels because of that sidewalk?

I also want to thank you because there is some attempt to fix most of the roads on which the visitors have to travel and several dust bowls are being tilled to plant flowers. So, my sinuses will get some reprieve.

Lord, I thank you for the Cricket World Cup. I really do. It has shown me how little our politicians care about us. All of a sudden hospitals are being upgraded so for the next two months if I get sick at least I will be guaranteed First-World treatment. God, you are omniscient, so I was hoping you could tell me where did all this money suddenly come from? Does it mean my taxes will be increased when the budget is being read?

On second thought, it will be during the Cricket World Cup so I know it will be very beneficial. After all, we won't want another gas riot during this important event, now do we? But God, that means next year the budget will be very harsh because elections and the World Cup would have past and the ICC Champions Trophy would be two years away.

Lord, I know I am straying but I must still thank you for the Cricket World Cup because at least for the next two months I can travel on good roads, not see zinc fences in some parts of the city and will have some green as opposed to dust, so for that I say thanks. And although many of the streets still look like a dump, I know you will cover the eyes of the visitors so they will see clean streets and beautiful surroundings.

So, as I am about to close, I just want to say thanks again.

In your name I pray, amen.

PS. By the way God, I still believe in miracles. So, could you please let us be rich so we could host a major sporting event such as the football World Cup or the Olympics? At least there would be a marginal improvement in our situation every few years.

email:

leighton.williams@-gleanerjm.com.