Be Inspired by Miss Stone

I knew a strong woman once. A woman who was brave. A woman who was larger than life. A woman who stood her ground. I knew a beautiful, elegant woman once, and it is because of her that I write this today. My Grandmother would have celebrated her birthday today. And although she has not been around for almost 8 years now, today I miss her terribly. I miss her like she has just left us. They say God picks his most beautiful flowers first, I do not know if we say this just to console ourselves, I guess we do, but one thing know, Rosalie was definitely one of His most beautiful flowers. The day before she died, she asked us to do her hair. She always looked amazing, even on an off day. I recall her saying that she had no concept of time; it did not worry me much, since she was happy and lively when she left our home that day. Little did I know it would be the last day I saw her. And so, the following day, on my sister’s birthday and a day before my birthday, my Ouma left us to be with...

Today, on this Heritage Day, I would like to share with you a famous speech by our former President, Thabo Mbeki. Regardless of race, culture, creed or religious domination; we are all African. Africa belongs to all those who live in it. Today, we should celebrate our heritage. Today we should celebrate that which makes us different, but also that which brings us together.   "I am an African. I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land. My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening, have been a cause both of trembling and of hope. The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the wild blo...

I fell inlove with Hip Hop when I was still very young. At first, my friend, Shadi and I were drawn to the cute guys and their baggy clothes. We were mesmerized by them. But after a while, we started appreciating the music. The words. The depth of what they were saying. When our peers were enjoying pop music, we enjoyed it too, but we knew what our first love was. And we fell in love. We fell in love with Hip Hop. My parents could not understand this. All they heard was cursing, but they never listened. They didn't hear or understand the message. And so, Hip Hop became that place I went to when I wanted to escape, get away from the world. It became part of who I was, a large part of who I was. I found solace in it. I drew inspiration from it. I was smitten!! So today, I found my inspiration in Hip Hop once again. These past few days have been quite chaotic (that's why I haven't had a chance to write as much), but this morning, I took the time out to listen to my first l...

My patience has been tested a lot lately. I have been dealing with trivial and serious matters, all of which has tested my patience (or lack thereof) considerably. But there is one thing I could not let go of that easily. There is one thing that kept creeping out from under the rug, no matter how hard I tried to sweep it underneath there.   A few months ago, it was brought to my attention that I am now a drug addict. It was said that I sniff cocaine. It was even said that I was seen doing it. Initially, it made me laugh. I know it is not true, so I paid no attention to it. I did not want to focus on it or make it an issue because I knew there was no truth to it. So, I left it. I swept it under the rug. Then, more and more people asked me about this story. More and more people told them that they heard this story. So, I did a bit of investigating and found who was said to be the source of this story. I asked questions; made sure I had the right person, but never doubted that I ...

A new life will enter this world soon, and I am so excited, feels almost like I am the Mommy :) Yesterday, we had a baby shower for my friend Annelicia. In a few weeks she will welcome little Christian into the world. In a few weeks, her life will change dramatically. There were lots of laughs yesterday at the shower. We had fun, shared stories and created bonds. The focus, however, was on my friend Annelicia.  She has been through a lot, she has experienced pain of different kinds, she has cried many times, she has given up a few times too. But yesterday, I looked at her and she was the epitome of joy. Her time has finally come, her rain clouds have given way to rainbows and sunshine. Her pain has been traded in for happiness. She is now anticipating the birth of her first child and there is nothing that could possibly bring her more joy than this. Today, I would just like to tell my friend that I am happy for her. There is no one who deserves this more than you do. I have wi...

Allow me to rant and rave today. I was told on Sunday by a male acquaintance, that he had never met a Coloured woman who is not angry. Yes, you read right. He has never met a Coloured woman who is not angry. Now, surprisingly, I did not get angry when he said that (I am sure this surprised him), instead, it made me think. Our conversation started with the mention of one girl. And yes, I said girl, because she certainly does not deserve the title of woman yet (at least not by me), largely due to her cognitive abilities, or lack thereof. I made mention of the fact that this girl did not like me, and for no particular reason. The look she gave me soon after this, confirmed my statement. On social networks, however, this girl has slandered me (and a few other people that I know), but in person, she seemed to have swallowed her tongue. So, all I said was, if she wants to see the Coloured in me, the Coloured everyone thinks we are, she would see it. And yes, I know this sounds really gh...

Spring has sprung. Happy Spring to all those in the Southern hemisphere J May this be a season of personal growth for you. May it be a season of love, laughter, joy, blessings and a kaleidoscope of colours to brighten up your days and make them extraordinary ones. In this season of all things new, where life is emphasized, I wish for only good things to come your way. And in those times when sadness draws to a near, I wish that you are patient enough to wait for your rainbow and bask in your sunshine when it finally appears. May the seeds that you have sown reap a harvest of blessings for you and those you love. And to those who are getting ready for Autumn (Fall), I pray that all the dry leaves are discarded and that this will be a season of preparation for all that is to come. A season of introspection and planting, so that when harvest time comes, you are able to reap too. Today, there is no inspirational story. Today, I simply want to say this: Embrace the season you find...