[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ module_id=”canny-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”14px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Photo by Liane Metzler<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”5px||0px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”5px||20px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|tablet” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019m often asked why I\u2019m so darn happy all the time.<\/p>\n I always find this funny because, well, I\u2019m not. How can I be? I am human, after all. I experience deep emotional pain; I sob my heart out; I am no stranger to the lure of depression. However, I do have something…<\/p>\n An incomprehensible, inexplicable, deep-seated, everlasting JOY that never ever<\/em> leaves me \u2013 no matter what life throws my way. (And it hasn\u2019t all been Champagne and roses, I assure you.)<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”22px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Here’s my story.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”5px||0px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”5px||20px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”off|tablet” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Up until the age of eight, I had the best childhood. Life was great, and both my parents were loving and caring. Then, out of the blue, they asked me, \u2018Who do you want to live with?\u2019<\/p>\n What a ridiculous question. Of course I replied: \u2018I want to live with both of you.\u2019<\/p>\n It was impossible for my young brain to comprehend that they were getting divorced. When they explained they would no longer be living together and then told me I\u2019d have to choose with whom I wanted to stay, I cried my little heart out.<\/p>\n Eventually, I decided that because my dad had another daughter (from a previous marriage), but my mom didn\u2019t have anyone except me, I would go and live with her. But it was a tough decision; I loved them both so much.<\/p>\n Within a year they were divorced.\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n And my dad cut off all contact.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a blissful childhood, where my mom and I had had more<\/em> than enough, suddenly she was a single mother and I was a fatherless child.<\/p>\n The worst part was: my dad was still in touch with my stepsister. She not only received birthday and Christmas presents but she also got to spend holidays with him. I didn\u2019t even get a phone call.<\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t understand it. After much deliberation, I concluded it was because I\u2019d done something wrong. Because I\u2019d chosen my mother over him, maybe? But no one explained anything to me.<\/p>\n I was hurting. Of course I was. But I was not broken. Because something had happened a couple of years before that had prepared me for this.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Something that would impact the rest of my life.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019ll come back to that.<\/p>\n My mom soon remarried. But her new husband was not a father to me.<\/p>\n The next seven years were emotionally and psychologically challenging. Our house never felt like a home.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Then: a revelation.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Just before I turned sixteen, my mom revealed that the man I’d called ‘dad’ was not my real father.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor.<\/p>\n Tears cascaded down my mom\u2019s face as she told me she’d married my ‘dad’ when I was two years old, and he had adopted me. My real father was someone she\u2019d loved very much when she was nineteen; and he\u2019d moved away before she knew she was pregnant.<\/span><\/p>\n My mother was embarrassed and upset. She\u2019d kept this from me for sixteen years and had no idea how I\u2019d react.<\/span><\/p>\n Me? I was overjoyed! I<\/span>t was like finding treasure! First of all, the \u2018dad\u2019 who had abandoned me wasn\u2019t even my father, so it didn\u2019t really count. Secondly, I had a real dad out there somewhere who didn\u2019t even know I existed. I was thrilled. <\/span><\/p>\n The last my mom had heard, my real dad was living in Johannesburg, South Africa. <\/span>It was quite a while ago. No internet or mobile phones. Imagine!\u00a0As we were living almost 1,000 miles away, in Cape Town, and we didn\u2019t have a car \u2013 and public transport and flights were too expensive to consider \u2013 there wasn\u2019t much I could do about this revelation at the time. <\/span>However, I was content to wait.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I was nineteen when I finally met my biological father.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019ll get back to that in a moment. Remember I mentioned that something happened a couple of years before my \u2018dad\u2019 and mom split up? It was \u2013 and always will be \u2013 the most significant event of my entire life.<\/p>\n When I was six, my aunt Margaret said to me, ever so casually, \u2018Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?\u2019<\/p>\n Just like that. Like she was asking what sandwich filling I\u2019d like.<\/p>\n Now I have to clarify: my aunt was not wanting to know if I was interested in joining a religion. She was asking if I had a relationship<\/strong>. With God.<\/p>\n Bear with me…\u00a0<\/p>\n I knew about Jesus because I went to Sunday School. (I think my mom sent me every week so she could get some peace and quiet.) I knew Jesus was God\u2019s Son, and that He loved me so much that He came to earth as a man to die for my sins; and then He rose from the dead and went back to Heaven. So saying yes to a relationship with God was an easy decision.<\/span><\/p>\n We knelt right there and then, on the floor, and she led me in a simple prayer, and I gave my life over to Jesus. And at that very moment, I became a child of God. He adopted me as His daughter and became my Heavenly Father. Best of all, He promised He would never, ever abandon me.<\/p>\n In His Word, the Bible, God says, The moment you accept My Son, Jesus, you become My child \u2013 no matter how old you are \u2013 and I\u2019m your Father in Heaven. Forever.<\/em><\/p>\n Even though I didn\u2019t have the greatest examples of dads, I had God as my ‘Papa’ from a very young age.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Without Him I would not be alive today.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n That\u2019s the honest truth.<\/p>\n God is amazing. His timing is always perfect. He knows every detail of our lives, from beginning to end. He knew the divorce was coming, so He ensured I had a perfect Heavenly Father to take the place of an imperfect earthly dad before I even realised I needed Him. <\/span><\/p>\n He knew that at the tender age of ten, my childhood would be stripped away. So He made sure I knew Him, so I could turn to my Papa God for comfort and healing.<\/span><\/p>\n I went through a lot of \u2018stuff\u2019, especially in my teenage years.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Several times I seriously considered suicide<\/strong>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n But God carried me through every single moment of my life \u2013 and He still does.<\/p>\n The past few years have been filled with challenging seasons; there have been many dark days. But God always gives me the strength to endure anything that comes my way.<\/p>\n See, He\u2019s promised to work ALL THINGS \u2013 every detail of my life \u2013 into something good. And I believe Him.<\/p>\n And you know what else? He even gave me the love and forgiveness for the men who abandoned me, the men who let me down… And I mean total forgiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you have any idea how free I feel? It\u2019s wonderful!<\/p>\n The most important thing is: I have peace.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Peace that surpasses all understanding.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Throughout my life, God has been there as my Heavenly Father. Whatever He\u2019s allowed me to go through has only served to make me stronger. So when I found out that my real dad was out there somewhere, I was OK to wait on God\u2019s perfect timing.<\/p>\n Almost four years later…<\/p>\n I was nineteen and had just arrived in Johannesburg to be a missionary with a performance group. So, I picked up a telephone directory (no Google, remember?) and looked up the name my mom had given me. And there it was; the only one. It had to be him.<\/span><\/p>\n Feverishly I wrote a four-page letter: my life in a nutshell. I ended it by saying that I didn\u2019t want to mess up his life. I knew nothing about him. For all I knew he had a family of his own, and I could just imagine how life-wrecking a nineteen year old turning up on your doorstep and claiming she\u2019s your daughter could be. So I said <\/span>I just wanted to see him, to meet him once. And then he could go on with his life. I was OK with that. I told him that I didn\u2019t harbour any ill toward him; I understood that he didn\u2019t know I existed.<\/p>\n Three days after I posted the letter, I received a phone call. <\/span><\/p>\n I will never forget that call. His voice was like honey. He was in shock. The conversation started with him saying, \u2018But I don\u2019t have a daughter.\u2019 And at the end of the conversation he stated, \u2018I have a daughter!\u2019<\/p>\n It was a magical, unforgettable moment.<\/p>\n We arranged to meet, and he brought his wife and their two little boys. It felt surreal. We stood staring at each other for a long time.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Meanwhile, my heart was beating like it was trying to escape.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n His wife was the first to speak. All she said, with no doubt in her voice, and a serene smile, was: \u2018This is your daughter.\u2019<\/p>\n I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was. <\/span><\/p>\n And guess what?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_text_color=”#025454″ text_font_size=”21px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The timing of all of this was perfect!<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row disabled_on=”off|off|off” module_id=”authentology-blogpost” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”<\/p>\n At age 19, Ru Fitzhenry opened her first dance studio.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At age 45 she lost EVERYTHING.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But a lioness doesn\u2019t go down without a fight.<\/span><\/p>\n Inspiration. Motivation. Hope. You\u2019ll find it all here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n ” content_last_edited=”off|tablet” disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Raleway||||||||” text_font_size=”18px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Firstly, the letter arrived on the last day the postman would deliver to my dad\u2019s street. From the day after, it would be post boxes only. And as no other address had been listed in the directory, if I had mailed my letter even one day later, I can\u2019t say it would have got to him. <\/span><\/p>\n Secondly, my dad and his wife had just come through a rough patch. If that letter had arrived any earlier, they weren\u2019t sure their relationship would have been strong enough to handle it.<\/span><\/p>\n When my dad explained all this to me, I smiled. God is amazing. He never comes too early or too late.<\/span><\/p>\n And the best was yet to come.<\/span><\/p>\n