Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top

We've got so much going on behind the scenes at Heartfelt at the moment it's been impossible to sit still (let alone to get Martha to sit still). She used to tell me as a little girl that I always had 'ants in my pants' so it did make us giggle when I said the same thing to her this morning. She has been what she calls 'rondlooping'. Yesterday was shopping and posting day for her and that means early into town (Pretoria) and back late in the afternoon.

Charlene, Martha's daughter also wrote her final computer exam on Saturday - so we are all waiting on tenter hooks for her to get her results. It's so exciting. She is the only Heartfelt lady who has ever learnt to use a computer - so we can't wait to get her started in the Heartfelt office. Who knows, perhaps she'll be blogging soon. Wouldn't that be neat?

Then Francie Finn our socio and economic developer at the project has been working really hard at getting our water petition written, signed and sent into the world of social networking. So please tweet it, facebook it, blog it and most importantly sign it. We figure, the more signatures it has, the more clout we will have. As you know, water is a basic human right and it really breaks our heart to think that people could actually be dying because of it. The Government really needs to pay attention. So please (it will only take a sec) sign it and pass it around - I know the Heartfelt ladies (& their families) will be really, really grateful. Thanks so much.To find out more please email francie@theheartfeltproject.com. Your signature, even though you may not think so, could change someone's life.

Connecting the Dots

I wanted to share this family photograph with you. It’s a picture of Martha with my mother taken in Makapanstad in 1988 at her ‘roof wetting’. I remember it so vividly. My sister and brother and I ran around the village with Emanuel and Charlene and all the local kid. I was barefoot (because all the kids were barefoot) and it was so hot I nearly died. We all ran hand-in-hand to buy sweets from the local spaza-shop – and managed to gather a crowd - I don’t think any other white kids had ever been there before.

Martha and my mum’s achievement was incredible in those apartheid days – and they lived by their own rules. They both still do. They were and are the greatest of friends and as I reminisce (sorry, I’m in one of those sentimental moods today and happened to come across this photo) I can’t help thinking that if it weren’t for their great friendship and love - Heartfelt would not have happened. It was the catalyst when it came to Martha and my ralationship and it taught me that love breaks through boundaries and when it is truly something you feel in your heart – it can change your life. You can change your life.

So much happened after this photo was taken. I guess it all needed to happen for us to get here today. Like Steve Jobs' mentioned in his Commencement Address to Standford University - you can only connect the dots looking back. I guess I’ve been so lucky to have had these incredible women in my life. Who would have thought that Martha and I would ever have become business partners when this photo was taken? Isn’t life funny. I guess you don’t choose your destiny – it most certainly chooses you.

Going Green

As you know we all love weddings and were delighted to take part in a wedding show at the Pride Park Stadium in Derby, UK on Sunday 29th August.

La Vie Est Un Voyage (*) - an ethical wedding planning business based in Derby -  exhibited our little favours as a fait-trade gift alternative for brides. You can read more about the event on their blog and see how beautifully they displayed their stand. We love our ethical brides and there are now so many incredible ways to plan a wedding - and spread the love. Going green doesn't mean you can't have your cake (organic of course) and eat it too. There are hundreds of new suppliers out there who offer gorgeous fair trade, green or organic alternatives to brides (and wedding planners like La Vie Est Un Voyage), who can add a very special touch to your day - and even though, at the end of the day it is all about you, it's not really because you've helped to support very special people (like the Heartfelt ladies) and saved the planet too. . .ooh can't you just feel the wedding love.