Tears and Triumphs
All the hard work
Written by: Lorna Norton
In 2018, on 11th October I first met Charlotte. It was the second week of my newly launched Fern Club. I remember it vividly, mainly because I cried when she told me she was still breastfeeding her son. 11th October 2018 was his second birthday. The reason I cried at the time seemed silly and insignificant but a year later it’s one of the defining moments of our connection and start of a huge journey.
In that moment, I realised there were more like myself out there, locally, in the town we call home. Folks who wanted to be part of their child’s life, their learning adventures, parenting gently and building the bonds to last a lifetime.
I’m lucky enough to be bringing up my son in the circle of some fantastic women. Starting with my grandmothers, my own dear mother, some close earth mother friends and now Charlotte.
Charlotte’s extended breastfeeding journey news was the tip of the iceberg. Throughout the months to follow we quickly realised we shared similarities in how we wanted to raise our children, dreams for our families and so much more.
Fast forward to May 2019. Frustration, impatience and resilience, excruciating life skills to navigate when you’re chasing your dreams. Charlotte and I had spent the whole of Winter 2018 dreaming up scenery and scenarios for a patch of land. Most of our conversations began, “if we had a patch of land we could…” At that time we felt stuck, frustrated that we couldn’t proceed and yet desperate to try and carve out something meaningful for a larger community of dreamers.
Luckily, the stars aligned in August 2019, a contact from years before emerged with arms open. We will forever be thankful for the kindness of Guy and his family for allowing us to create the patch we now call the Kith Homestead.
Charlotte and I hope to create a space for those who need it most; a safe haven for new mother’s to come be, a weekly adventure for little legs, a place for wonderful free range home-ed groups to connect and soon, our Kith Women’s Circle.
The homestead will continue to evolve with the seasons and each week we spend there will continue to throw us new challenges. As mother’s we know we can hold space for those just like us. Together we feel stronger and more attuned to the earth we walk. When you come to visit, we hope you feel it too.
xx
