As I child, I was exposed to violence and adults battling addiction. I was kidnapped from my mother, went to many different schools, and had very painful feelings of abandonment. At seven, I was raped by the dad of some friends.
“My path had pain, but it’ s produced fruit that people are eating.”
When I needed peace, I walked into the nearest garden I could see and I found it there. One birthday, my mom took me to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where I remember seeing the dell, a haven of tall trees, cool shade, and a mountain stream. It’s one of the most beautiful memories I have. I became passionate about Cape Town plant life. There’s such an explosion of colour and diversity here, in fact there are more species on Table Mountain than in the whole of the UK! They’re all so masterfully designed and interconnected.
prayed and read the Bible in her darkest times, and for years I prayed about the
