Amanda, one of our Shine Volunteers from Zonnebloem, sent us a message...

Amanda had a stroke three weeks ago: she is slowly regaining her strength, and is working hard at her mobility: she sent us a beautiful message which made us stop, pause and reflect on our own lives: thank you for that gift, Amanda. This is beautiful.
'To all my beautiful friends: can you believe it is exactly three weeks  today that my  beloved, incredible life changed, and took a complete u- turn, and as quickly as it takes o draw a stroke on a piece of paper, that's how quickly your entire life changes... you loose privacy, dignity, mobility,spontaneity, freedom. And yet I have realized so much too, for as quickly as you can fill a page full of strokes, ( I recognize) that those are all the love and prayers an hopes of my incredible network of friends. I am blessed and humbled by each stroke: you have all drawn on my heart... your prayers and your faith in me: I will beat this to honour your faith and positive dreams. I share the same dream, and the same wishes, and as the sun comes up, and goes down, I have made a promise to myself.... that I will one day be able to share in its natural beauty and the passage of time, filling my day with honouring that; the present of another day to do so much, to celebrate so much. I have learnt something I never knew I would be so lucky to experience: the realization of a love and friendship bigger than me....I am truly humbled by your kindness and caring courage: kindness that knows no boundaries. May I one day be able to bestow these qualities on you too. Thank you, each of you, for your friendship. I am proud to be your friend. Love, enjoy, treasure, respect your lives.... a stroke can change them instantaneously, and yet rebuild them with more hope, more faith, more value, more gratitude, more awareness at the abundance that we have. I Love you all, and I honour each one of you, and I look at life in a whole new perspective, so I guess I have been given a present. 
Amanda XXX'