Greetings Sisters!!

This is my first blog EVER,

My 11 year old daughter taught me a lesson in strength and gratitude today. About ten minutes before I was due to participate in a public debate she told me that a young man tried to attack her with a knife, but she managed to kick the knife out of his hand( the martial arts lessons paid off !!) he ran away and she got on the bus and came home.

In that moment I went cold, and the calm I had been cultivating all day disappeared, I was visibly shaken to the core. We had to call the police; something I knew my daughter would not be happy about since we had been down this road before. Last year around this time she was attacked twice by a mixed group of black and white youths, girls and boys. She was brave and she gave video evidence, whilst I held her hand. One young man was eventually charged with GBH and the others received warnings.

The last ten months or so have been hard and indeed painful, as she worked through her issues, and as we went through a transition as a family. She did not sleep for a month, neither did I. She expressed her distress with violence, destroying virtually everything in our home, and often physically lashing out at her younger brother, and myself. I was in and out of hospital in chronic pain, and unable to walk properly, having test after test done , often sinking into depression. Friends and family helped me where they could. We sought professional help and help from our Iya. I called on the ancestors and Ogun for strength. I prayed a for a way through..............

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months and slowly we all began healing, we changed what we ate, we cried, we played, we watched cartoons and movies , stayed in bed, baked cookies, went for walks in the woods and down by the river, we went to the park, watched the stars, watched the sunset, looked at the clouds, and the airplanes criss crossing the sky, we painted, we drew, we danced, we sang..............slowly but surely we all began to laugh again.

During this time I reconnected with her father, and he began building a relationship with her, and supporting her emotionally. The young man who was charged with GBH apologized to her. My own health improved as I changed my mindset. I accepted that I was disabled and that I was going to live my life fully and with JOY. My son is a boisterous six year old who has just started learning to play djembe with great passion and focus.

So today when I started crying she looked at me and asked me why was I crying?! She emphatically added "I'm still alive innit !" (young Londoner speak!). I smiled, dried my tears and told her that she was right and that I was proud of her for being brave and standing up for herself. In my mind I knew I was crying tears of joy, tears of gratitude....I gave thanks to the ancestors and the Orisa, Ogun for guiding and protecting her. I gave thanks for the blessing of her wisdom in my life. She has taught me not to give up hope no matter how rough the road might get.

So some time later (after the police had taken their statement and we went on a drive around with the police) we walked into the hall, warrior women , Amazon Women, Phenomenal Women. I poured libation and then spoke with even greater conviction about the legacy of the Atlantic Slave trade and how it affects us in modern times!!

Blessings!!

Dee