04/06/2026
As we always are, Charles Kadalie, Gerhard Barnard, Marinda Barnard and I Valentia Kadalie were blessed ourselves by our engagement with our group of men in prison yesterday. 38 male voices raised the roof in songs of worship. One by one they are telling the stories. From way back to where their lives began to where it derailed. As he read out loud the group’s feedback “This is who I am” statement, a grown man cried soft intense tears that he forgot he had. The others encouraged him that it is OK to cry.
One of the men at the end came to me and said, “Aunty Val I want you to listen to this commencement speech. Your (Charles’) guitar reminded me of a speech I listened to in the week.
Late last night we googled it and it stirred my spirit.
So I share it with you. May this lesson on the strings of a guitar encourage you to be more. To love more. To hope more. To trust more. To inspire more. To be more real. After all, we can only bring healing to someone else through and out of our own brokenness.
I just loved it and so I share it with you. Let me know what you receive from it.
And I’ll feed back to our friend in prison next week.
Enjoy.
On May 9, 2026 Eric delivered a moving commencement speech for the ...
