“ …there comes a time in a man’s life where he must decide whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of purpose or meaning…he cant have both. They follow 2 very different paths. To be truly happy a man must live absolutely in the present with no thought of what has gone before and no thoughts of what lies ahead but in a life of meaning a man is condemned to wallow in the past and obsess about the future…” Mr Linderman in Heroes episode 18

And who says you cant learn anything from TV? But how deep and how true is that little quote?

Anyway, 3 new additions to the mailing list, Melani, Kirsty and Graham. Any comments please go to www.mondaymail.blogspot.com. Should you have any suggestions on something to write about please do drop me a line.

Thanks to all 2 of you (Thabang and Wendy) who responded last week regarding the old clothes etc. I was looking of places to take these clothes to and on Monday I was driving and I tuned into yFm and guess what I heard? They are running a campaign under the banner Y cares and they are…yes you guessed it they are rounding up old clothes for the less fortunate and you can either donate individually or in a group. So what I am thinking is that we gather as much as we can and I don’t mind dropping it off with some assistance ofcourse.

Following on to my opening paragraph…living a life of meaning/purpose. A couple of weeks ago I forwarded a story from a friend of mine Thabang Skwambane who is setting off on his journey at the end of this month. This story appeared on page 11 of the Star newspaper on Wednesday. I have a scanned copy if you were unable to read it.What Thabang is doing is he is getting on a bicycle on the 27th June 2007 and cycling from Johannesburg to Tanzania, through 2 game reserves if I am not mistaken, Botswana, Zambia, Zim, Malawi. And because this is not enough of a challenge. When he gets to Tanzania, he and a possie are going to climb mount Kilimanjaro. Why is he doing such a crazeeeeee thing?

Thabang left the world of finance a couple of years ago to start a wellness management company called Kaelo. Kaelo focuses on total wellness but it was initially set up to tackle aids awareness, education, treatment and put to bed some of the stigmas attached to the disease. I think it was last year when on one of his visits to his mothers clan, the Dikgale clan in Polokwane when he encountered something that would set him on his way. The clan has about 1500 orphans, not necessarily aids orphans, but orphans and vulnerable children nonetheless. And it’s for these children that he rides (sounds like the opening line for a movie/tv show). Just one of the challenges this community faces…the majority of these orphans and vulnerable children don’t have an identity number, what does this mean? Well it means that they are not recognized as citizens of this country. For kids with parents this is generally a non issue, but if you are an orphan it’s a big issue because you are not registered with child welfare, and thus you are not entitled to any grants. Mobilising home affairs and the community to sort this problem out is proving quite a task without the correct structures in these communities. For these structures to be put in place requires funding. Further to this, a large number of these children are housed in an abandoned church (I think), where they eat sleep etc, on the hard cold floor. It’s hectic. Its projects like these that the lonely road plans on addressing or starting.

The aim of the foundation is not to purely be a source of funding for communities such as these, but rather to provide the initial capital to set up the structures which will make these projects self sufficient. Please visit www.thelonelyroad.org and if there is anything that either you or your organization can do to help this cause drop them a line.

Thabang is just an ordinary guy…no really he is very ordinary ;-) but what he is trying to achieve, well that’s hugely extraordinary! All the best bro and Godspeed. And Gracey! u are a Saint for your work, time, alles, cos we all know that this would be nowhere without you…no offence T, the foundation and T are very blessed to have u!

T, I would definitely have offered to come with you on your trip, but I am allergic to lions, so for the safety of all concerned I think I will sit this one out after all if a small little ol bee caused me to write off my car, I’d hate to find out what a lion would do J.

‘it does indeed take a village to raise a child’ now imagine what u can do if u put your mind to it, even you can make a difference!

Birthdays
27th Monica
28th Candice
29th Delia, Lauren W, Nyame K
31st AC, Cous Nana Yaa, Loretta, Rachel S
2nd Mame Ekua

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation"

Because our character is what we really are, while our reputation is merely what others think we are. - John Wooden –

That’s me for another week.

Maximum respect

Y

‘Que sera sera’