Hi Readers! I’m Lata, the young Samoan mama behind the screen on a healing journey, rediscovering who she is after losing her best friend, soulmate and person to Stage 4 gastric cancer.
If you’ve stumbled onto this blog, I welcome you. Who knew it would ever come to this… not me that’s for sure. Writing a blog about becoming a Widow at 29 whilst raising two children under 2 is wild. I could have never imagined my life unfolding the way it has. But here we are, I hope you have a drink in your hand and are sitting comfortably because you’re in for a ride.
As you journey with me, you will read about my personal grief journey, faith, motherhood, some of my struggles navigating life in this era but also a glimpse of dark humour. One thing is for sure, I think I’ve become funnier after experiencing loss (IYKYK) maybe it’s a defence mechanism or maybe I just need therapy haha.
Many of these experiences have not been shared with anyone and if it has not many. So, I ask, that as I invite you into my world, that you read with an open mind, maybe you might just be introduced to another perspective on life.
Grief is messy, it’s not pretty, in my experience it is the most raw and the deepest of heartaches. It is a life altering experience that I believe will forever hold a place in my story here on earth.
As time passes I realise that in order to move forward there are many parts of my life that I must acknowledge so that I can really appreciate the journey that once was and welcome the journey ahead.
I’ve been praying for God to direct my steps in this area, knowing that he would present a way for me to share my story. Because if I’m real, some days I feel like I can write a book about my life. How I went from watching a podcast in my lounge to now birthing the blog that you now read is beyond me. Isn’t God funny.
I hope that as you walk with me, you may be blessed in some way. Whether that is in supporting someone who is navigating their grief journey or encouraging you on your own. My hope is that these pieces of writing give you hope, that wherever you are in life, whether you are on the mountain tops or currently in the pits of despair, there is hope that something beautiful can be birthed from your story. If you’re smiling at your happiest, appreciate these moments of where you sit. And if you’re crying with the weight of the world on your shoulders, I’m sending you the biggest hug and a blanket of hope that you too can receive the same hope that I have in my journey.
With Love Lata x
29 & Widowed 