While in quarantine, I have been reflecting back on all the wonderful experiences and people that we encountered while in South Africa. A smile comes to my face as a cherish these thoughts of  un-expected friends and guests. I figured I should share some of them with all of you. After all, that is what blogging is all about…. passing along everything to our devout followers, right?

One sunny Sunday afternoon, when we decided to visit the Bohemian Groove Cafe in Kaapsche Hoop, we were pleasantly surprised with free live entertainment. How lucky could we be?? We both LOVE live concerts! After a few glasses of wine and devouring a absolutely devine “gypsy salad” , Jackie began singing.  With guitar in hand, her voice radiated the entire patio. At first observation, I could not believe that this deep, almost husky voice (similar to that of Stevie Nicks) was coming from this tiny thing with dark red hair. Her voice was  mezmerizing and intoxicating, all at the same time. We had simply planned on enjoying a nice lunch, what a special treat this had become.

About an hour into her performance, Jackie took a short break and we made it a point to introduce ourselves . Boy am I glad we did! Not only was she a power house on the stage, she was as sweet as apple pie. It wasn’t long before we were all laughing and exchanging life stories. She discovered that we were needing a place to stay for one week while between Arbnb reservations, and what did she do? She offered us HER house to stay !! It turned out that she would be away visiting her parents on the exact dates that we were looking for a place. We couldn’t believe it. Was this actually happening? How could this be? The universe works in mysterious ways.

Let me just note, we didn’t  just meet a woman in a bar and decide to accept her offer to stay in her house. We are a little crazy , but not that crazy. Relax mom and dad. We did diligent research into who she was. Thank goodness this was a small town and Trudie ( our original Arbnb host) had connections all over town and assisted with this. After connecting with several locals, we decided to go for it.

It was through Jackie that we met another musician named Shawn. He also, is a complete gem! We became good friends almost immediately after meeting. He not only offered us free taxi rides around town to gather supplies and food, but often joined us for great conversation,music and an occasional braai. Here it is several weeks later, and we still continue to be in contact.

It was one of these evenings when Shawn came over to join us for a braai, that we invited guests to dinner. Now these were not your “run of the mill “guests, in fact, we had no idea that they would be joining us when the grill was fired up. Let me explain, Jackie’s house was on a corner lot with a park across the street where families would gather regularly. Therefore, we were accustomed to traffic and people walking around the block in the evenings. This particular evening , we were all sitting on the front porch visiting when 3 young children appeared and began to linger at the corner.  They looked as if  they were sniffing the air and enjoying the smell of fresh lit charcoal. With no adults in site, I walked slowly over to them and asked if they were hungry. The overwhelming response, was 100% YES.

I invited them to join us on the porch and explained that it would be a while until dinner would be ready. Timidly, they each took a seat, but remained clustered together, as if trying to protect themselves. I must explain that in the area where we were staying, racism is very evident, and I’m sure they didn’t quite know what to think about us. Being the motherly type that I am,  I quickly served up 3 cups of juice ( this quickly turned into 6, and then 9, and then 12). These kids were thirsty!! Being the man and father figure that Quinn is, he quickly initiated small talk. Within a few minutes, we discovered that the mother of the children was currently working at KFC ( yes, you heard right. KFC is extremely popular alllll over South Africa), the father was at home drunk, and the oldest of the siblings was home taking care of the infant of the family. These 3 adorable children ( approx ages of 10,6,4) had been wandering the streets in hopes of finding something to eat. We intended to fix that post haste. More chicken was taken out of the refrigerator and more rice was added to the pot.

Quinn picked up an old guitar and began singing . After strumming along for a few songs,our little guests began to relax. Somehow music does that. Smiles arose, laughter began, and within minutes various musical instruments were being passed around- a guitar, a drum, and a harmonica. Heck, I even got the national anthem sung just to me by the 6 year old boy. How awesome is that?!?! It was magical to see the changes that were taking place, in these children’s eyes and hearts.

The children offered to help cut up vegetables for the salad…it was important that it would be a group effort…. and within the hour the table was set.  Let me just say, it was a lovely meal, but was even more lovely watching plate after plate of food being devoured with such gratitude. Several hours later, the children were so full and so tired that they stumbled their way home.

Quinn, Shawn and I just sat on the porch and began discussing  and reminesing over the events of the evening. What a special treat it had been. Shawn sat in silence for a while. He finally voiced that he was amazed that we were willing to “just invite” children to dinner… especially African children.  He added that he had never witnessed “anything like this”  in his entire life. I was perplexed at this response. How could that possibly be? Surely he wasn’t serious. Never? in 48 years?? He insisted it was the truth, and added that “this was the most amazing thing.”

In that moment , I was thankful that I had NOT been raised in South Africa. How strange it must be to be raised in a country with these long routed views and idealogies. I was always taught that if children are hungry, you feed them. Plain and simple. Regardless of what color their skin is or what their economic status is. Children are the innocents and should be treated as such. What happened to the traditional saying ” it takes a village”? After all, we can’t pick our parents can we? If that were possible, I know several people who would have picked different ones!

One thing is for certain, every ounce of my soul enjoyed the hours we spent with those three children. They were so kind and humble, and grateful, and sweet- Despite their current living conditions and circumstances. That experience will forever be etched in my memory. It brought me inner peace. Perhaps it is because my children are all grown up, and  I miss the sound of small voices, their laughter, and the thought of “being needed” … OR  perhaps being around small children reminded me of my own childhood…OR perhaps I simply needed a gentle reminder to be more child-like. Who knows.  Either way, I am thankful for all the wonderful friends and un-expected guests that have helped me to grow along this journey. Cheers to Jackie, to Shawn, and to those three little ones.