March 8th is International Women’s Day, but this day means two very different things to me as a woman and as a motherless daughter. When I think of what it means to be a woman, I think of my mother. Almost everyone believes their mother is the best, and rightly so. Mums are everything!!! My … Continue reading My Education In Becoming An Empowered Woman
Category: The Grief Diaries
My mum died December 13, 2017 at 1:10 a.m. This is me trying to carry on in a world where the love of my life no longer exists.
Happy Midnights Day
Today, at midnight sharp EST, Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album titled Midnights. It is a collection of 13 (duh!) songs written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. To know me, whether intimately or from social media, is to know that I am definitely maybe the biggest … Continue reading Happy Midnights Day
December 13 2021
Dear mum, Four years today. 2021 has been a difficult year for me and I was completely unprepared for how deeply I would feel your absence this year. My mental health was in the pits for a large chunk of the year and I ended up falling out of love with so many things that … Continue reading December 13 2021
Life Goes On: A Double-edged Sword
One of my bestest friends, who is also my maternal cousin, is getting married at the end of the year and her introduction was on March 20th. For those not familiar with the tradition, the introduction ceremony entails the man, together with his family, going to the home of the woman he intends to marry … Continue reading Life Goes On: A Double-edged Sword
Mental Health Monday: The Unmothered Club
For 30 years I had a mother. Now I do not. I am unmothered. I have been meaning to start a Mental Health Monday (MHM) segment on the blog for almost a year now because mental health is something I am deeply passionate about. If my mum were still alive, she would be turning 62 … Continue reading Mental Health Monday: The Unmothered Club
JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 13 of 13: The Mother Of All Losses
“Hi. How are you? So yeah we’re taking mum to hosi. Everything’s okay, she’s just low on oxygen and is having trouble breathing.” That was what my brother called to tell me at 00:58 a.m. on December 13, 2017. In response I asked him to let me know when they got to the hospital and … Continue reading JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 13 of 13: The Mother Of All Losses
December 13 2020
Dear mum, Three years today. Wow! Sometimes it feels like December 13, 2017 was just the other day, other times it feels like it has been a million years since that fateful December you left us at 1:10 a.m. 2020 has not been the year I thought it would be. I thought it would be … Continue reading December 13 2020
JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 12 of 13: The Beginning Of The End
In last week’s post, JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 11 of 13: The Moments Of Happiness, I shared that I unintentionally took a month-long break from the ‘JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass’ series in November and that I would explain why in today’s post. I put up this post on my Facebook page on Thursday November … Continue reading JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 12 of 13: The Beginning Of The End
JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 11 of 13: The Moments Of Happiness
As you have probably noticed by now, I usually kick off posts in the JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass series by giving a little backstory into my mum’s battle with cancer before diving into the post. However, I am electing to do things a little different today seeing as I am picking up my mum’s story … Continue reading JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 11 of 13: The Moments Of Happiness
JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 10 of 13: The Coping Mechanisms
After my mum was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer on Friday June 15, 2012, an ironically sunny afternoon, her oncologist recommended chemotherapy followed by a mastectomy then radiotherapy as her treatment plan. After eight rounds of chemotherapy my mum had a mastectomy in December 2012 followed by radiotherapy in January 2013 to target the … Continue reading JS Kicking Cancer’s Ass Theme 10 of 13: The Coping Mechanisms
Lwile the Leo 