Part of stepping into your passion and purpose, no matter what, is that a spooky phenomenon kicks in known as the Law of Attraction. You get on purpose, and those people who are on purpose as well and love you for who you are come out of the woodwork. Then you get to play in the same sandpit as all these really cool people.

Sometimes playing in the same sandpit means that you have to stand quietly together holding each others hand and hearts as one of your special friends goes through one of life’s biggest challenges.

Today I was able to hold my friend, Allison Grant’s hand, Alli is the Issue’s Chick from Alli and Co, changing the lives of women through her own vulnerability and strength.

Today Alli said a final farewell to her beautiful Daddy, who was finally released from his torture that is mesothelioma (I’m not giving the f*cker a capital letter like the website did), the asbestos cancer on the 2nd of December, and Nelson Mandela kindly provided a bit of moral support for him in Heaven today, the day of Mel’s funeral.

I got to sit with my fellow Swagger Chicks today as we supported our friend, and listened to Mel’s family share stories about his life over the last 74 years.

What an amazing man.

Every one of them basically said the same thing about him and the stories were hilarious given the sadness of the occasion. Just imagine Alli as a little girl swinging in the big tree at her family home that her dad made her and it was that big a swing that she flung out over the road a little bit, terrifying people driving up their street as this child appeared mid air out of nowhere.

Alli said that her dad walked to the beat of his own drum. He was very comfortable with who he was and at no time did he ever change that.

Walk to the beat of your own drum.

You don’t have to be like everyone else.

You get to know you, like the back of your hand, and you love you the most of everything, and you’ll be ok.

No accidents or coincidences that I felt there was no other place for me to be this afternoon but to support Alli, her mum Phyl, and Alli’s husband Simon. I needed to hear the legacy of a life well lived, the life he wanted to live and that he was happy to live.

I needed to hear that opposites attract and fit so perfectly in their differences that no matter what the outside rules say, two completely different people can be in love, follow their passions and still grow old together successfully.

I needed to hear that adoring men who are fathers and husbands can have a swathe of different people stand up to say something that restores your faith in the good guy.

Today has been a blessed day for me.

Mr Grant, thank you for what you provided me today. I shall be forever grateful.

Much love
Amanda