ON THE ROAD TO HEALING

To mark the anniversary of her daughter’s death this mom took a trip and left special memory stones for strangers to find

- KIM ABRAHAMS

THE first anniversary of a loved one’s death is often a difficult time – memories flood back and the longing and heartache become even more overwhelming.

Cape Town mom Ronel Vermaak knew the one-year mark of her daughter’s death would be tough – but she was determined to turn it into something more than a time of sad reflection.

She wanted to celebrate the life of her precious child by both honouring her and hopefully providing hope and comfort to others.

Ronel (51) spent two months hand-painting stones with her daughter Amorei’s favourite motivational quotes before embarking on a 400km trip, during which she laid the stones in places her “sunshine girl” treasured.

The aim was to touch the lives of strangers who would pick up the stones – just as Amorei had touched lives, Ronel explains.

On the back of each brightly coloured stone were details of how photos and videos could be shared to a Facebook page dedicated to Amorei.

Which is exactly what another mom, Teresa Lombard, did.

She shared how she picked up a stone on a beach in Langebaan and read the message on it. “Make a wish”, it said – and so she did. The day before, Teresa had lost two family members in a car crash and her daughter had been battling breast cancer for the past year.

Moments after she’d made her wish, her daughter called. She was at the hospital for a check-up and had just been told her cancer was in remission. Teresa’s wish had been granted.

Knowing her quest could help people like Teresa going through hard times makes Ronel’s load a bit lighter.