Through my eyes

Most of us experience slight glimpses of light that we know come from a higher place. It is rare and extraordinary and we know its magic straight away. This is how I felt when I first met Verushka, a contributor to The Bugle, a classically trained dancer, an author, a mother to three beautiful babies, wife to a highly acclaimed paediatrician and now my spiritual guide.

Life has these beautiful gifts that it throws at us when we least expect it, and Verushka landed in my life through pure divine intervention and it was love at first sight. Even though our hectic lives prevented us from seeing each other as often as we wished, we connected each week through The Bugle, you can find her editorial on page 6 every week.

Below is Verushka's gift to me for Women's Day and even though I tried to convince her not to publish this story, she insisted I do and as my spiritual guide, I have to obey.

You see finding Verushka has been an incredible breakthrough for me, together with my right hand, Firdos, we are an unbreakable team and I hope that the light we share in our office permeates to you, my beautiful readers.

"Listening to my favourite dance track and watching my beautiful little ones dance, my attention was drawn to an amazing radiating presence of the kindest soul, Kasia Yoko. She was swaying, enjoying the music and capturing beautiful photos as the girls danced. She lovingly hugged all of them as they came off stage and congratulated them for doing an exceptional performance. I was astonished to see such pure love and affection from an individual that did not know us. And now that I know Kasia, I know she is no ordinary soul and that kindness and the lack of being pretentious, is really who she is. She has all the attributes of a highly elevated soul and has a heart larger than life itself. It was that day that I met one of my dearest friends and now my Boss! Her passion for work, her excellence on the job and the change she has wrought, have taken her to the top of her game. She is changing the rules & the lives of many, every day.

Kasia Yoko has a remarkable story, born on the 10th November 1969 in Oswiecim (Auschwitz), Poland, where at the time their family lived with the bare necessities. They would receive food stamps and wait in queues for food and everything else. Her family escaped Poland in 19981 seeking better life. They travelled to Austria where they were granted Political asylum. When Kasia was just 11 years old her family were one of the first Polish families to travel to SA. She had a difficult time, however her love for fashion, colour and fabrics and her unique personality allowed her to gravitate towards Fashion Design and was mentored by Gordon Flac Davidson.

Kasia's creative free spirit designed show-stopping creations but later had an interest in a completely different career, Microbiology. This did not last too long; one visit to the sewerage plant changed her destination forever.

She always had a desire to write and would keep diaries, journals and little notes with little or lots of information on them. Ballito was her holiday destination and the perfect place to write. This is where she met Tomas, her husband.

Being vegetarian Kasia offered to cook Tomas dinner and his eyes lit up when he tasted her feast and on that first date he proposed. The magic evolved into the beautiful 24-year love story that they share today. Kasia was a part of the Raji Yogis in Johannesburg and Tomas was a practicing Krishna devotee. It was not long till Kasia and Tomas were enticed by Lord Krishna for His unconditional Love, the philosophy of oneness of Life and the Vedic Principal; I am not this body.

When Kasia was pregnant with their second child Dominic, who is now 21 years old, it was also the time of the birth of her other baby, The Bugle.

She allowed her desire to write and share people's stories to become a reality. Tomas fondly remembers Kasia, fully pregnant out selling advertisements and distributing Bugles off her big tummy.

The Bugle grew from strength to strength with Kasia's Eastern European driving force, her vision, tenacity and her pureness of heart. She has the most incredible intuition and always finds the positive in any situation or individual. Tomas laughs as he shares that she is a 'Genius' she remembers everything and is able to correlate information when meeting people even after many years, as is it was just yesterday, and makes the individual feel so special that she remembers every detail about them.

One day when I got to work, Kasia was on her phone busy with her editorials and cooking up a storm in the kitchen and then packing up the most sumptuous food. And where was all this going to Her boys. They receive a couriered parcel of home cooked vegetarian food and deserts, just because its Mother's Love.

Kasia is a remarkable Mother with the firm tough love approach that has given her boys balance in their upbringing. They have been able to experience and learn from her spiritual journey to be chosen as their Mother.

Her compassion extends beyond her immediate family, one never leaves her home without a meal, or medicated if you are ill, or spoilt in abundance if ever in need. Her Christmas drive projects have heart-warming stories to tell but this does not affect her calm and composed approach to life. She is committed to have all women know that they should stand up for themselves and for others and be true to themselves. Do not sell yourself short because you are a woman.

In Kasia I have seen glimpses of what we call divine Shakti, that innate strength that radiates from one's being. She encompasses the divine qualities from scripture of fearlessness even in the midst of sorrow, purity of mind, discriminatory knowledge, doing service without aspiring for the fruits thereof, non violence, speaking the truth, casting away that which is not good, controlling outward senses, not resorting to backbiting or slander, compassionate, patience and forbearance, single point focus, purity, not harming others and the key to achieving all of the others is the absence of pride.

To a phenomenal women that we know and love, Kasia Yoko we honour and salute you for being the true human that you were destined to be. Your beauty is the light of your heart and we are blessed to enjoy its warmth and radiance. May you be blessed always." Verushka.