Gratitude Journal – 9th June to 15th June 2014

An awesome week with so much to be grateful for! Best news of the week was that our younger son Mwai (8yrs old- in orange above) seems to have gotten his soccer mojo back! He loved soccer so much as a toddler that he used to sleep with his soccer ball and we had started calculating how much money we would make as his managers. But suddenly when he went to creche the interest disappeared (I think reading and writing became more interesting). Well its back and he scored a ‘Hat Trick’ in what his proud older brother called ‘A VERY tough game against Clifton Prep’. The game ended with Treverton Prep (their school) winning 3 goals (all by Mwai) to 1 for Clifton! Who says you cant be both a genius and a soccer pro? Chi-ching!

Monday 9th June 2014: Zoona brought another 2 of our top agents from Zambia on a fully sponsored trip to Cape Town. It was the first time for both of them to fly. Allan (pictured in the middle) shared with me about how when he was a kid he would watch planes in Ndola and believe that one day he too would get on one. He said ‘I still had that dream as a grownup even though I didn’t know how it would happen… and now it has happened!’ Made me reflect on the importance of holding onto our dreams. As Lupita Nyongo said ‘No matter where you are from, your dreams are valid.’ Today I am most grateful for work that I love and that continues to inspire me daily

Tuesday 10th June 2014: Today I am most grateful for Cape Town’s food options. I had Quinoa for the first time yesterday and had it again today because its just so yummy (wondering why no-one ever told me :P) . Also grateful for the ability to ‘order in’ a larger variety of foods when the weather is as rainy and cold as it was!

Wednesday 11th June 2014: Today was a busy day closing off stuff and handing over work as I prepare to go on leave for 10 working days. Its the first “real leave” in 27 months as each time I took time away from work over the last 2+ years I would be in class at UCT’s Graduate School of Business (GSB). The joys of furthering education whilst working :). Today I am most grateful for a capable Zoona Zambia management team that will continue to kick butt and bring in the results even in my absence *hint hint guys*!

Thursday 12th June 2014: My leave officially started! So exciting! Went to GSB to pick up the Graduation Gown and it was a pleasure to see a copy of the printed thesis. Whoop whoop! My dad and my cousin Mutale and his family also arrived today from Zambia for my graduation tomorrow. My dad was telling me that he could not have missed it for the world because when I was about 7 years old, he had explained to me what a masters degree was and I told him I would get mine before the age of 35 (the age at which he got his). And here we are – promise kept! Today I am most grateful for family and friends that love me unconditionally

Friday 13th June 2014: And graduation day is finally here! After 2 years of dedication, sweat, tears, little sleep, and fun – I am honoured to finally being awarded, With Distinction – the Masters of Commerce in Development Finance. Hallelujah! Whilst my ACCA qualification was dedicated to my late mum Doris for being the best female role model I could have ever wished for in the 16years we were together; this one is dedicated to the 4 most important men in my life, my husband Sandras, our sons Mwenda and Mwai and my dad Andrew. The distinction is dedicated to all women out there who are wives and mothers and have a demanding career but still value and believe in education enough to pursue it wholeheartedly. YES WE CAN! Today I am most grateful for this achievement.

Saturday 14th June 2014: Spent all day travelling between Cape Town and Bali. One thing I personally love about travelling is how humbling it is. There are so many people in all sorts of places all over the world also living their lives and their own hustle and bustle that I totally wow about being 1 in 6 billion! God is indeed awesome to have created all these people and all these places! Quite mind boggling! Today I am most grateful for the ability to travel and expand my thinking

Sunday 15th June 2014: Finally in Bali and reunited with my hot-cake Sandras! Today I am most grateful for Sandras, the man that I said ‘I do’ to over 8 years ago and whose unconditional love for me and selfless support of me truly enables me. I love you hot-cake! To you I say ‘mwali bomba kale’ which if directly translated would be ‘you have already done your job’. A statement of gratitude to someone who has done a lot for you.

WHAT WERE YOU GRATEFUL FOR THIS WEEK?

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