Tag: #faith

Mid 2025 Roundup

I think this is the first time in a long time I can say that this has been a long year! How are we only halfway through! It has been a real rollercoaster ride.  From the stress of having to apply for my job to the high of our latest product launch!  It’s been crazy.

Image: Canva

Choosing to reapply for my position

At the end of January, our new team structure was announced, and most of us had to apply for the available roles.  I had no idea what the future held, which made me very anxious.  I had to apply for a role and would only be retrenched if I were unsuccessful in my application.  I was the only person who applied for the role, so they gave it to me.  I am not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. I tried to be cool and calm through the process, but I completely underestimated how stressful it would be.  As much as I didn’t really mind being retrenched (I have other plans), the idea of not having a nine-to-five job was scary.  I also had a team that needed support as they were going through the same thing.  The biggest and scariest lesson for me was witnessing the effect stress had on my body during this period:

  • Stress wreaks havoc on one’s heart – my resting heart rate had risen dramatically.  This impacted my heart rate when exercising.  My heart rate would rise higher than normal when I performed my usual exercise.  It really scared me. 
  • My blood sugar levels were higher than ever before.  This was likely due to an increase in cortisol.
  • My blood pressure was higher than usual as well.  

All of these readings dropped as soon as my role was confirmed, so it was definitely linked to the stress during that period.  Considering that my words for this year were “Health and Wellness”, it was not easy watching those numbers rise.  Hopefully, I never find myself in that situation again. 

Reassessing my future

Naturally, this entire experience has caused me to reassess where I am in life, why I am where I am, and where I want to be.  I am guessing that because this desire to reassess and to heal is so great, God has stepped in to guide me through the people and, of course, my favourite tool, books.  I say heal because I feel traumatised by the experience I have just been through.  There have been a few messages that I have received that are guiding me through this process:

  1. Exercise God-confidence instead of self-confidence.  I first came across this term in Demi-Leigh Tebow’s book; “A Crown that Lasts”.  I felt that there was another level I could reach for.  I have worked so hard to build my self-confidence over the past few years, yet it just didn’t feel like enough, and that’s because it isn’t.  There is another level of confidence, and it is God-confidence. My faith has not been strong enough.  I have relied too heavily on myself and other people.  This has been a mistake.  And so my journey begins to strengthen my faith in God.  I have to be honest, I thought I had, but it is clear that I still place my faith in all the wrong people and processes.  
  2. Take action – Strengthening faith is not a passive process.  When I look around at all the people who inspire me, especially those whom God is using right now to draw me closer to Him, they all take inspired action.  Each has had their journey to achieve all they have thus far.  No part of their journey included passively waiting for God to take action on their behalf.  It has been through, and because of, their inspired actions that God was able to display his glory.  
  3. My vision is not big enough – I realise that I am acting on a goal that plays to my ego and has very little benefit to me, my son, and my community in the long run, and doesn’t bring me closer to my vision. One of the lessons is that by putting all my focus on a small goal, I lose sight of my vision, and I really feel like I have been wasting time. No doubt there are lessons I can take from this pursuit, but it is not even a stepping stone in the direction I want to go. 
Book cover. A woman in long grass
Image: Author’s own

Green shoots

Thankfully, it has not all been doom and trauma.  We recently launched our new hand and body range at work, and I represented R&D at the launch events.  It was a whirlwind of activity, including a launch event and two TV appearances.  The team has put their heart and soul into bringing these products to the market, so it was wonderful to be a part of the activities that created awareness around them.  

Traipsing around the countryside to promote our new range also meant I got to visit with old friends that I hadn’t seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest highlight was finally getting to meet my friend’s daughters. I had been watching them grow up on Facebook since birth, so it was fantastic to finally meet them.

I am also seeing the end of the teenage drama that we have been living with for the past few years.  My son is becoming his old playful self again.  It is heart-warming to see and feel the lightness in his energy again.  I also see the excitement building as he prepares for the next phase of life.  He is exploring career options, and we will be booking his learner’s licence test soon.  I am so excited for him. 

I am grateful to have made it this far. I am also looking forward to the wonderful surprises that this year still has in store.  How did the first half of your 2025 go?

Thanks for popping in!  Be blessed!

“Parenting teenagers is an exercise in letting go, while holding on with all your heart.” – Michelle Cruz-Rosado

Day 21.  Letting go with faith was definitely today’s theme. Thank you, God, that my son and his friend had an amazing day today, and thank you for keeping them safe as well. 

Two Things I Am Grateful For

  1. I am grateful that my son could add another new experience to his bucket list this year.  He had spoken about wanting to attend a Sharks rugby match over the last few months.  He called it out as a goal for next year.  He must have wanted it quite badly because God decided to move the timeline up.  I am also really happy that he was able to experience it with one of his best friends.  Of course, letting him attend without me took a bit of faith on my part.  A lot of alcohol flows at these events, so my only prayer was that they didn’t encounter any drunk people who were also looking for trouble.  Thankfully, God heard that prayer, too. 
  2. My son has been blessed with many firsts this year.  His firsts included a cruise, a trip overseas watching his favourite soccer team play at their home stadium, and even seeing amazing exhibits at the museum in London.  He saw some of the exhibits in his textbooks and was thrilled to see them in real life. He used to enjoy visiting the Pietermaritzburg Museum as a pre-schooler, so I was thrilled to know that he hadn’t lost his love of museums.  I am grateful to everyone, and especially God, for making all of my son’s new experiences possible this year.  He has really been blessed. 
Image created on Canva

One Moment of Joy

Just having my son home again has been a real joy.  I have barely seen him today but it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that he is sleeping in his own bed tonight.  Tomorrow, he is off again, so once again, I have to loosen the reins and have faith that he will be ok and enjoy his time away.  When he was younger, I used to worry that he would enjoy his time away from me so much that he wouldn’t want to come back home.  How much more self-absorbed and insecure could I be!🫣 I know better now.  I know now that while he might not miss me when he goes away because he is enjoying the moment, he will always love me as much as he always has, and he will always be grateful to be home when he returns.  I guess I am also just preparing myself for the day he goes to university.  I only have two more years with him at home.  

Well, that’s it from me today.  Thanks for popping by.

Bye for now.

Celebrating 2023: A Month of Gratitude – Day 18

The author appreciates the positive impacts that her father, son, and a friend, Dan, have had on her life. Their influences have shaped her sense of self, empowerment, and understanding of men.

Daily writing prompt
Describe a man who has positively impacted your life.
View all responses

Since this is my month of gratitude, this prompt was right up my alley. There are a few men who have positively impacted my life. There’s my father, my son (even though he isn’t quite a man yet), and a friend who was clearly in my life for a reason and is no longer around, to name a few. Let’s start with my dad.


My Dad


Before my son’s arrival, no person loved me unconditionally like my dad did. What I do doesn’t matter; even if I disappoint him terribly, I am loved. What more could I ask of any human being. My dad is a gentle, loving soul who has a good heart. He finds his purpose in doing things for others. He is not all sparkle and fairy dust, though. He was very strict with us when we were kids and had quite a temper. Although he only hit my sister and me once each, and he couldn’t bear the pain he caused us, he never ever hit us again. He is very quiet and loves to read. All the second-hand booksellers in the area know me because I am constantly buying him books to read. He loves history and is our family’s genealogist. From him, I learnt that “this too shall pass”, that I can do anything I put my mind to and that being a woman is not a reason to let anyone hold me back. He has taught me what it feels like to be loved unconditionally and what it means to be of service to others. I am so grateful to call him Dad.


My Son


My son is a gift that I thank God for every day. He is an old soul and, therefore, a wise soul. He has taught me to appreciate the little things in life and who I am. I have watched him evolve through each stage of his life, and I marvel at how quickly things change. This year, I have watched him grow from an angry young person trying hard to be brave to a calmer, more mature young man. He inspires me to want to be better and to set an example for him. Each time he raises his game, I am inspired to raise mine even further. I could not have asked for a more wonderful son. I am very grateful for him.
The other thing that my son has taught me is that males are indeed a different ball game altogether. I do not have any brothers, so I only experienced males as friends and, of course, as boyfriends. I used to get so frustrated with my boyfriends about how they viewed life and behaved. I had a terrible habit of always picking weirdos for boyfriends. Having a son has taught me that they were not weirdos; they were just boys being boys. Now that I know that, I can live with it. Thank you, my child, for teaching your mum to appreciate men as they are.


My Friend, Dan


Dan came into my life a few months ago. It was very unexpected, and we just clicked. He is a fascinating, very well-rounded guy who lives on another continent. He has experience as a teacher, and he finds his purpose in creating programs to help kids overcome whatever difficulties they may be facing. I truly believe God sent him to me because He knew I needed help with my son. The funny thing is that Dan doesn’t believe in God, and I understand why he doesn’t, but it didn’t stop God from working through him.
Spirituality teaches us that if we want others to change their behaviour, we must change ours first, and they will respond in time. I was so wrapped up in thinking that there was something wrong with my child that I started to feel powerless to change the situation. Dan helped me see that there was nothing wrong with my son and that I needed to change his behaviour when he became angry. This turned everything around far sooner than I expected. I am so grateful for his help in changing my perspective about my son. He also appreciated me in such a way that I liked who I saw when I viewed myself through his eyes. Through his eyes, I realised that I already am the person I aspired to be and that I am ready to evolve to the next version of me. I am so grateful to him for this insight.


I wouldn’t be who I am today if it was not for each of these men. Who are the men in your life that have brought a positive change?

Thanks for reading! Be blessed!