The School Corridor Tatler

It can't be easy for a parent to lose a child. It is almost impossible for me to find words to describe such loss. As I sit here, I know of two families who must be experiencing heart wrenching emotions. Sasha, my daughter, shared this heartbreaking news with me : two teenagers passed away yesterday. One was a Grade 11 classmate of Riko, my nephew and the other girl was the sister of one of his other classmates,Spencer.   This morning when I picked up my nephews for school, Riko was armed with a bunch of white flowers. These flowers were for his friend and classmate, Savannah, and for Kirsten, the sister of his dear friend. He was going to lay this down in the Garden of Remembrance at their school, Bergvliet High school.   Usually my car is bubbling with conversations of all kinds, with music blaring and we often participate in the KFM general knowledge quiz. Today the mood was subdued. My three teenager passengers were probably dealing with their own swirling thoughts. I wa...

Glenda all snazzy, hair grown back to shoulder length On  30 July 2010, my dearest sister, departed from us, expected at some point, yet unexpected when the day finally hit us. The more the cancer anchored itself, the more Glenda's mental and spiritual spirit ballooned. I dunno how she did it and even the medical staff were in awe of her power. Glenda posing with the dummy gift Mother Christmas (Aka me) gave her After battling with an aggressive cancer for 4 years, Glenda, the supreme fighter, finally succumbed.  Even on the day we finally took her to hospital because she took a bad turn, Glenda showed her superhuman strength.  She could not even walk but she remained calm and dignified as we waited at Constantiaberg reception.  A past student of mine was attending to us.  He told us we could take Glenda up to the ward while he waited for authorisation from the Medical Aid. He could see the pain wracking her face.  But no, my strong-willed, stubborn sis ins...

Farewell, Serena Origin of name:  Serenus.  Meaning calm, tranquil, serene. Try as I would, the sudden passing on of a young mother and wife keeps popping up in my mind.  Serena was her name. Like a candle in the wind, she left this earth. But not before she had played two games of netball, probably harnessing all her energy and focusing on the moment. Then she was no more. Those who remain behind are still reeling with shock, trying to make sense of the brevity of life; searching for answers. One of my inspirational proverbs comes to mind: “ Do your outdoor work and get your fields ready, then build your house”.  Who says that Serena – a young wife and mother who succumbed to a suspected heart attack – had not come full circle by having completed her earthly stint and is ready to resume her spiritual existence? Are we perhaps not projecting our own lack of understanding of our purpose here on earth, when confronted with events such as these? It is during such raw ...