Good (news) Friday: My little sister is now a Doctor!!!

Last weekend, I hobbled out of my sick bed to join my siblings at the graduation ceremony of our sister Maureen at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. And, such was our pride and jubilation that - when her name was called to receive her medical degree - our uproarious standing ovation sent a crescendo throughout that celebrated music hall that would have made even the most boisterous New Yorker blush.

We are also exceedingly pleased that the St Joseph’s Regional Medical Centre in Patterson New Jersey has offered Maureen a Postgraduate Residency Appointment in Family Practice. And, given the size of our family - complete with more than a few hypochondriacs - this is an extremely auspicious appointment.

After the graduation ceremony, we gathered for a private dinner party at which I gave a toast to Maureen that I shall repeat here as a lasting tribute:

I offer this toast to our sister Maureen in a spirit of profound admiration and unvarnished humility. Admiration because her graduation into the ranks of medical doctors marks a triumph of perseverance over daunting obstacles that only a person with the faith of Job could have predicted. And humility, because faced with similar obstacles, I doubt that I would have been able to overcome with such remarkable equanimity.

Therefore I rise Maureen - to sing your praises and to tell you what an inspiration you are to me. And it is my fervent hope that in the years to come, all of us - especially your children Bill and Billyca - will have not only words to say but also deeds to show just how truly proud we are of you.

To Dr Lil Reene…

NOTE: Apropos the Caribbean, click here to read my CNN column on the whaling controversy that has environmentalists threatening to boycott some of our regional economies.