#Women’sMonth: Wentworth Angels spread warmth and hope through blanket drive

WORDS of upliftment, like a blanket, provide warmth, reassurance and keeps one going.

Against this backdrop, never failing to meet the demands of the community, the Wentworth Angels hosted its blanket give-away drive on Tuesday, August 10.

The gathering hosted at Grace Tabernacle on Sunbeam Avenue in Wentworth included young and old women.

Guest speakers Mrs Universe Africa semi-finalist, Candice Underhill, and former and author, Bernadette Pearce spoke to the delegation about stories of overcoming some of the difficult times of their lives.

Candice said it took a traumatic experience three years ago for her to finally live her best life. She had a mild stroke and was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

She initially had told her therapist that she wanted to die but later realised that it was not in the physical sense. She, in fact, wanted to break free from the hindrances and aspects of herself she barely recognised.

“As a result, I am now a better mother, wife, and friend. As mothers, we tend to give some much of ourselves. We forget about our own dreams and that we also need to live. I am loving the woman I am becoming,” she said.

By facing her worst qualities, Candice dared to dream and now makes the most of every day.

“I didn’t make a choice just to be alive, I chose to live my life each day doing what makes me happy. I made a decision to fill my cup and I do not give to anyone unless it is overflowing,” the mother of four added.

Author of Heartbreak, Bernadette, brought the audience back to the reality of choices one makes for themselves and their subsequent consequences.

She said although the choices she made for herself were good they, later on, turned south. She at that point had to decide which path she would follow.

“When that happened I put on the proverbial big girl shoes and took those challenges, moved forward and focused. When my husband died, he was cycling and was knocked over by a woman driving. It was later discovered that she was addicted to some form of drug and was on that drug that day. She was driving at high speed and lost control of her car,” she recalled.

A few years later, her daughter, Robyn, was in her second year in university in Cape Town when a robber went into her apartment, stabbed her to death.

“At that point, I had lost my parents, two sisters, and husband. I was shattered. My daughter died not because she made bad choices but somebody else did that. He was a drug addict and his intention was to steal from her. The choices we make have consequences and if one is in their right mind,” said the former Wentworth resident.

She said through journalling she found solace and later turned those thoughts into a book that now serves as an inspiration to many women.  

PICTURES: