The Vision of a Blind Man
© J. Francois Barnard - 26 July 2023
I have been in the computer industry for more than 36 years now, and had it not been for the vision of a blind man, it would never have happened.
The Buffer and the Bad Blood
© J. Francois Barnard – 28 December 2019
More than 22 years ago, I held my baby boy on my lap and looked at his sweet face. Absolute perfection! A perfect baby born into an imperfect world. As I reminisced about my childhood, I wondered about what my boy would face in his life. What impact would this imperfect world have on a boy born so perfectly?
Other Mother’s Children
© J. Francois Barnard – 11 April 2014
Why it always worked like that, I do not know. As if it was not enough for me to bring up my offspring, I also had to raise other mothers’ children too! At times, I felt like sticking a label on a forehead, sending the kid back to mommy with the words: “Job incomplete!”
The Holy Scrum
© Simeon Barnard – 19 February 2023
As you are reading this, a holy rugby match occurs. No, this is not the Currie Cup or even the World Cup, for that matter. This match is much more important. You see, the winner of this rugby match will have a lasting impact on not only the teams involved but also the referee and his friends and family.
The Oil, the Ozone and the Odour
© J. Francois Barnard – 2 February 2019
Entrepreneurial Pivot: From IT to Ozone Therapy
The Sad Case of Twak
© J. Francois Barnard – 1 April 2010
In 1993, I built my first house. I could not afford anything fancy, and when the architect told me about timber construction at below R500 per square meter, I fell for it. My grandfather once lived in a timber house in Stanfieldhill, Standerton, so why not me?
Uncertainty
© J. Francois Barnard - 19 February 2023
Uncertainty, unreliability, precariousness, doubt, apprehension, dilemma - all words describing the world we live in today. Apart from a failing economy, South Africa has so many load-shedding stages that we never know what will happen tomorrow. Ukraine is still fighting for survival, Taiwan looks at their neighbour across the Strait with apprehension, and Turkey mourns the death of 40,000 people.
The Legacy of the Builders: Why Advancement is Under Siege in South Africa
© J. Francois Barnard - 12 February 2017
Three hundred years ago, my ancestors travelled from Germany to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, to set sail for Africa. With them, they brought their Christian Faith and their dreams for a better life.
My Peculiar Master
© J. Francois Barnard – 7 July 2011
It was quite cold this morning, and with the overcast weather, it slowed us all down. I have already served the Master his breakfast and was in the kitchen preparing my own when I noticed him heading for the door. I dropped everything immediately and rushed there to open it for him. He just brushed past me without a word.
The Safe Place
© J. Francois Barnard - 22 July 2018
Who I am
only You will know
Who to be
I cannot see
Where to go
I cannot know
The Dad-Void
© J. Francois Barnard – 7 April 2018
In you, and in me, is a void. This is the void that we can fill with many things, but nothing fits well in there except for a dad. He fits perfectly into this void because it was made just for him. It is what I call the Dad-Void.
My Weekend Child
© J. Francois Barnard – 6 June 1994
You were about three years old when I remarried. It was such an intense time for both of us. We both had to make adjustments. But we were young and handled it well.
In Other Words
© J. Francois Barnard - 3 January 2023
And there was light. Neither suddenly, nor blindingly. A subtle light warming up and getting brighter, and I accepted it.
The Saddest Spectacles
© J. Francois Barnard – 1 November 2019
I recently had my eyes tested again. The optician tried her best to get me to use new multifocal “computer glasses”, but it was a bad experience. I reverted to glasses with a fixed distance, and it actually works for me.
Ben and the Bomb
A Tale about Pious People
© J. Francois Barnard – 15 July 2014
It is with reluctance that I am telling this tale. It is both comic and tragic. Comic in the sheer audacity of it all, and tragic as it ruined a family. I do not tell this from mere hearsay. It was a personal experience for me. Quite unbelievable, you might think, and I would agree. Yet I was there, feeling the shockwaves and the pain. But let me not get ahead of myself.
The Attitude of Jonah
© J. Francois Barnard – 4 April 2020
Yes, Jonah. The same biblical prophet who took a detour through the belly of a fish. Jonah had an attitude, and amid the worldwide Coronavirus crisis, I am reminded of Jonah.
All those T-shirts
© J. Francois Barnard – 1 November 2019
Yes, it happens. Hopes and dreams get scattered. Try as you might, you could not prevent it. And there you are: devastated and degraded; broken and tearful.
Wising up Mr Ginger
© J. Francois Barnard - 20 January 2021
I love cats. I still miss our old Jeremiah dearly today, even though he has been gone several years now. His absence has left a void in our hearts and home.
Paint the Canvas, my Son!
© J. Francois Barnard – 16 January 2020
The year is 2020, and the month is January. Ahead of you lies the blank canvas of your life. For the last 22 years, you, your mother and I have been preparing you to make those first strokes of the brush. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to what you and your Heavenly Father plan to create!
To Bleed, or not to Bleed: That is the Question!
© J. Francois Barnard – 5 April 2014
I have been a blood donor for the last 16 years. Just the other day, April 2, 2014, I donated my 92nd pint of blood. By 2015, somewhere in the winter, I should reach number 100. Won't it be great if I can take as many new donors as possible with me that day?
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