by Lisa-Jo | Dec 8, 2014 | Blogging, Faith, Just plain hard, South Africa
I don’t know about you, but there have been so many days lately when the world feels hurt and broken and tired. And we feel hurt and broken and tired. And I want to just bury my face in Zoe’s blonde tangles and sniff in all the wonder that went missing...
by Lisa-Jo | Aug 21, 2014 | No such thing as just a mom, South Africa, Take Action
I see you slowly creak out of bed and go take that bottle to the baby that cries for it before the sun comes up. Again. I see you scrape last night’s spaghetti off the dishes you didn’t have the energy to load into the dishwasher. I see you set the coffee...
by Lisa-Jo | Aug 13, 2014 | No such thing as just a mom, South Africa, Take Action
FINAL UPDATE: You did it!! You raised the final amount for the first phase of the community center – $40,000!!! That will pay for kitchen and bathroom facilities, classrooms and meeting space! A-Ma-Zing. Speechless gratitude! UPDATE: Sunday 10pm: It’s...
by Lisa-Jo | Aug 7, 2014 | Blogging, South Africa
I’m a white girl who grew up in the affluent and extremely privileged suburbs of Pretoria, South Africa. At the height of Apartheid. I grew up under US sanctions and ate my first McDonalds burger at the age of 18 only because I was traveling abroad. We didn’t have...
by Lisa-Jo | May 7, 2014 | Motherhood, No such thing as just a mom, South Africa, surprised by motherhood, Take Action
Between Valentine’s Day and (now nearly) Mother’s Day this blog community has raised $32,384 toward a community center in South Africa!! Yup, you read that right: $32,384! That’s $5,000 for a sustainable, community vegetable garden. That’s...
by Lisa-Jo | Mar 31, 2014 | Daughters, Motherhood, South Africa, surprised by motherhood
We are our mother’s daughters. Whether we want to be or not. My story starts with hers all wrapped up in DNA and days spent under the mango trees in Zululand. I have her crooked smile and passion for late night movies and ice cream. I have her love of dancing in the...