22 Nov 2025 ~ THE FIG TREE

Just before we went to Umpokane, Riaan was diagnosed with cancer. He shared it with us that weekend.

I still remember Trudie’s call on the 15th of December 2022. Riaan had passed away.

He was a good friend, one of the few people I knew that was capable of listening. He had a soft and caring heart, a giver, not a taker. 

During his fight with cancer he gave me a White Genoa fig tree. He loved gardening and was so proud of this tree that he grew himself. He wanted me to have it. I went home and planted it with care, but after Riaan’s death I decided to uproot the little tree and replant it in an honorary spot in my garden, right in front of my front door. Here it serves a bitter sweet reminder of true friendship and what I lost when Riaan died.

Figs carry their flower on the inside of the fruit. From the outside it is impossible to observe the process of pollination and fruit formation.

For me, this tear shaped fruit became the symbol of the grief we carry within us. All of us live with brokenness, pain and suffering caused by some kind of loss. Most often you will not be able to see it from the outside. We hide the bitterness with the sweetness we display for everyone to see. But inside we are fighting in silence to make sense of it all…