3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

Marlon and Firzaana, St John's volunteers on duty at Kirstenbosch Gardens. After meeting Firzaana and Marlon, two St. John's volunteers at Kirstenbosch gardens, I decided to google St John to read about the organisation and its mission statement. Right there in the first few lines, St Johns prides itself on its reputation as having dedicated volunteers. Well, we met two of the organisation's volunteers by chance and what has been our experience? We want to agree that this is true, based on our exchange with Marlon and Firzaana.   Yes, we can attest to the wonderful, caring service we received from Firzaana and Marlon. After enjoying ourselves at the Freshlyground sunset concert, we had to trek to our car about 300 meters from the concert lawn zone. Desiree, my eldest sister, kitted in beautiful shoes,but unsuitable for this kind of walking, ditched her red wedge-heeled contraptions. What was a nice showpiece, became like an albatross. So there we were- Desiree, Sasha and I...

A few of the Lavender Hill High Grade 12s Lavender Hill Grade 12 learners themselves have amazing inspirational power. Today, we met the 126 Matric students, the class of 2014. A well-mannered group of young people who still have a sparkle in their eyes. The fact that these learners reached grade 12 despite their hardships and their daily grind to protect their souls and their integrity, is a morale booster for folk who have been spared such trauma. Despite their lived wisdom of how to overcome adversity, these very learners need a constant feed of motivation to remind them of their awesome power. Domingo sharing his " work-in-progress" journey with the learners Today it was Domingo's privilege to meet these future trendsetters and to add a nugget of hope. Like his audience, Domingo too attended a school in the "ghettoes" as he put it. He was here to share his journey of carving a new life for himself. Domingo entitled his talk "Against all odds". ...

The weather is perfect for an afternoon drive . The fun is that Sasha, our latest learner driver, is behind the wheel, with Dad, the instructor, in the passenger seat. At the back is Mommy dearest and brother, Christo. Our poor pitbull, Bella, probably cursed me for taking her seat this time . I was chuffed with Sasha 's driving skills and the confidence she displayed. She has only been on the road for the fourth time today yet the gear changes are relatively smooth. Now and then I hear Basil's soft voice, almost whispering. Then Sasha responds in an equally soft tone, looking ever so lovingly at her Dad and doing whatever he has said.  I felt a bit like a guest , no, more like an onlooker observing this father-daughter interlude. Christo was equally chilled, filled with admiration that baby Sis is a 'cool' learner driver.  Golly, time really flies. It was just the other day when our princess arrived in grand style to take up her place in our family. Now she is in her f...