We don’t tend to do things the easy way. My husband and I have always taken the long route—literally and figuratively. It’s messy, often bumpy, but it’s always full of lessons, and that’s exactly how we wanted this journey to be. Not just the destination, but the getting there—the good, the hard, and everything in between.
Our move to Tanzania wasn’t just a change in scenery. It meant uprooting the boys from the only world they’ve ever known—their routines, their friends, their family. We knew there would be moments of resistance and heartbreak. We expected it. But expecting it doesn’t make it any easier when it arrives.
Our first Tuesday here hit hard. The boys were exhausted from the travel, emotions were running high, and by mid-morning they’d fought for what felt like the hundredth time. After another shouting match (yes, one I contributed to—definitely not my proudest parenting moment), Ethan ran and hid under his bed. His camouflage duvet makes it “invisible,” and for him, it’s the perfect hiding spot when the world feels too big.
I let a few moments pass. Then I heard the sobs—those deep, gut-wrenching cries that shake you to your core. I peeked in and found him curled up, clutching a photo his cousin had given him—the two of them, laughing on top of hay bales, frozen in a moment of joy. My heart shattered. I couldn’t fit under the bed, but I reached out, coaxed him gently, and when he crawled out, I held him in the kind of hug that says more than any words could.
We needed a shift. A reset. So, we piled into Dad’s bakkie and drove into town to find something—anything—for dinner.
That’s when the magic happened.
As we drove, the clouds began to part, and through the grey, stretching across the farmland and bush, was a single, bright rainbow. Just hanging there, unapologetically beautiful. Ethan’s eyes lit up. He leaned forward and said softly, “God sent a rainbow to tell the world things will be okay.”
And just like that, we were okay.
That little sliver of colour turned into a symbol—a reminder that through the hardest transitions, beauty still breaks through. It was our sign that we were exactly where we were meant to be. The tears dried, the moods lifted, and we all smiled together for the first time that day.
Our African adventure is far from smooth. But we’re not here for smooth. We’re here for real. And sometimes, all it takes is a rainbow to remind you that even the hardest days have hope hiding in them.
photo thanks to @ziggyq_ found on Instagram and was just to special not to share.
My Path Love Jess 