A Divine Offering With A Hard Ending

Manifesting Support Locally in Our Efforts in Building a Homestead & Healing Retreat

For the last two years, my husband and I, with our small children, have been on a radical journey of striving to sustain ourselves in very alternative ways in Jamaica. We gave up apartment renting to camp out of a greenhouse tent when our finances started to dwindle, and we needed to find a solution with no local support.

We briefly explored joining a couple who were on a mission to build an eco-friendly spiritual community from the ground up, but soon recognized our paths and principles were very different. We chose to go back on our own, as a family.

2022: the children walking the lands of St.Thomas, Jamaica in my mom’s rural birth place. Photo captured by mom (Makeda)

I returned to a root space—my mother’s birth parish here in Jamaica—and experienced heartbreaking rejection from family after they decided that our principles of life were foolish, simply because we rejected the modern notion that we needed to surrender to the rat-race rhythms to be successful. We specifically chose a life of farming, homeschooling, and returning to the islands.

We camped out of a makeshift tent on land opened to us by a few Rasta elders—strangers, yet kind souls—who offered their support upon meeting us.

At the end of it all, when things got truly drastic and we didn’t know where we would go, we experienced the blessing of being supported by friends, family, nature, and the virtual world. On that land where we lived out of a tent, I cried and prayed, while my husband—still—held faith and continued to work, clearing the land and planning his farming vision despite so much uncertainty. Spirit then delivered us to an ancestral farmland where he could finally begin growing organic food. We were also blessed with an old, one-room home that my late paternal grandfather had lived and died in. Despite its deteriorating condition, we were grateful to have a concrete structure over us. It’s this very home that shielded us during Hurricane Beryl in June/July 2024.

This journey has been nothing short of enlightening and healing, but also deeply triggering. Our material path has mirrored our spiritual one, as we’ve deepened in our bond as a family and developed a commitment to cultivating a life that honors our holistic values—even in environments where this vision seems impossible.

Yesterday, Spirit intervened once again and brought in a huge shift that I felt coming but didn’t yet understand. My family had a truly divinely aligned meeting with a wise woman and mother who came unto our path through, shortly after we moved to the ancestral farmland we currently reside on.

My husband had connected with her prior through his work with high school basketball and they connected over their shared vision for youth basketball in Jamaica. She is a mother to two teenage boys who plays high school basketball. They also spoke deeply over the sad state of how youths are treated in Jamaica, and the broken socioeconomic system and consciousness that continues to breed wounded ways of relating on the island.

Throughout their conversations, she’d hear about our family’s journey—our reason for returning, the work we’ve been doing. Though my husband refrained from giving too many personal details, I learned from speaking with her for the first time in person yesterday that what stood out to her was his consistent commitment to always wait to discuss things with his wife before making any decisions or sharing anything too personal about our journey. He’d always mention how similar her way of communicating around healing was to mine. And for months, whenever he encountered her, he’d come home and say, “There’s this woman whose vision is very similar to our own - her energy, her words—she gets the journey here in Jamaica.”

That alignment finally manifested into our first in-person meeting, and it felt so natural and loving. We’d already been cultivating a bond through texts and voice notes, and with all the shifts happening, we knew it was time to meet.

The intention of our meeting was centered around finding a new home space and land where we could continue our work in family and community building—specifically in alignment with homesteading and homeschooling. Knowing and understanding our lifestyle, and having witnessed our struggles, this wise woman followed the call of Spirit and made us a powerful offering.

She offered us her land to work with — a safe space to continue building our vision. A vision she, too, has been nurturing for years. But due to life circumstances and being a widowed mother navigating the harsh socioeconomic terrain of Jamaica, she couldn’t sustain it alone.

This land belonged to her grandfather and was passed to her after a long legal battle. It had served as a refuge during hard times she navigated with her sons. But after moving away in pursuit of more opportunities, to empower her and support her in the manifestation of her visions for the land, it sat unoccupied. Still, she held the vision that one day, things would begin to revitalize on the land once again, and this time, with support. She trusted that Spirit and her ancestors would guide her to the right people whose visions and missions aligned with her own, and with whom she could begin to build a community with.

Her story mirrors mine in so many ways. She, too, returned to her roots after migrating from Jamaica. She followed divine guidance, even in the face of judgment and ostracization from family. She fought for her grandfather’s land, just as I am striving to do. She found healing through the land and deepened her craft in herbalism — all while mothering, balancing the journey of nourishing both herself and her children.

The difference in our stories lies in her loss of her divine counterpart — her husband and the father of her children. She feels deeply called to a mission of supporting young boys, as her own experiences witnessing her sons navigate their trials initiated her into her nonprofit work — which I look forward to sharing more about, in time.

This wise woman’s strength stood out to me, inspired me, and reflected my own — yet she also offered a motherly guidance and encouragement that reminded me to keep fighting. As a younger mother to small children, and as a wife walking the path of cultivating a conscious union with my husband, her words and presence were both a mirror and a balm.

Two baby kids came to greet the children on the new land space. Photo captured by me (Makeda)

A Call for Reciprocal Support of Our Digital Content

If you’d like to take an exclusive peek at the photos we captured during our day with this wise woman — along with a first glimpse of our new property — I invite you to visit my Ko-fi page. Over there, I’ll be sharing even more behind-the-scenes updates from our journey: photos, short videos, and vlogs, offered especially for our ‘Rooted Supporters.’

On Ko-fi, for as little as $12/month, you gain access to these extended stories and moments from our path. If a monthly commitment isn’t for you, you also have the option to make a one-time donation, which gives you full access to all exclusive content for one month.

Your support directly helps me nourish my family — from purchasing quality ingredients for cooking from scratch, to supporting our efforts as we grow our own food and build nutritional security. Every contribution empowers us on this journey as first-generation subsistence farmers and homesteaders, working from the ground up in Jamaica to create sustainable income through organic farming and digital storytelling.

A family picture at the beach, captured by the Wise Woman. You may view exclusive pic on kofi.

A Day Of Soul Connection & Divine Resurrection

My husband and the wise woman having a reasoning on the new land space. Photo captured by me (Makeda). View exclusive picture on kofi.

On April 20th—Resurrection Sunday: the Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead—we finally met. We walked the land barefoot, allowing ourselves to feel it, to hear what the spirits had to say. It was beautiful. We toured, reasoned, shared, and ended the day at the beach nearby—a beach we had never been to. Living deep in the rural hills, we hadn’t seen the beach in years. It was the first time our little Pisces son touched the Caribbean waters. And the synchronicity? She is a Pisces too. It felt like a soul-aligned ritual, a sacred meeting.

This Christian holiday, rooted in a more patriarchal tradition of religion, became — for us — a day of divine connection, a return to nature, and a moment to align with a shared vision for a better future as Caribbeans. A future rooted not in the cycles of trauma and poverty passed down through colonialism and oppression, but in healing, resilience, and ancestral wisdom.

The children walking with the wise woman as we arrive at a secret beach location she decided to take us to. Photo captured by me (Makeda). See this exclusive pic on kofi.

So many firsts. So many signs. So much warmth.

Another trait I recognized we all shared as conscious beings journeying through Jamaica is isolation—the journey of walking alone because it’s rare to find kindred souls with whom you can build from scratch. But as she reminded us, there are good people. And when we commit to doing our inner work, we will attract those rooted in the same soil. Not everyone is meant to walk this path—but those who do? They’re the ones building something sacred.

Though she could be my mother — older even than mine — I felt a kindred friendship with her. A sister. A guide. A mother. I received her wisdom with an open heart. She shared her story of grief, loss, healing, and divine intervention. We watched the children play as she honored my strength as a mother, and at the same time, spoke to the inner child in me — still healing — offering words of affirmation and encouragement.

As we toured the land, she paused for a moment, looked me in my eyes, and spoke words of affirmation — reminding me that we are deserving of this blessing, that I am worthy of receiving it, and that the support we’ve called in is already here, waiting for us to claim it.

The entire time spent with her was a beautiful reminder that this work — the work of bridging the spiritual with the physical, of navigating life consciously, and trusting in the sacred alignment of predestined positive shifts — is real. We are living it.

It can be difficult to remember the magic woven into the mundane when you’re not surrounded by those who see the world as you do. But on this day, Spirit aligned us with someone who does.

Receiving all the blessings — from Great Spirit, Nature, Mama Water, this beautiful day, our bonds. Everything. Photo captured by Leo (hubs). View exclusive pic on kofi.

Of course, this blessing comes with the call to work. As is the divine order of life, we must nurture what we’re given with love. She reminded us how her own time on the land shaped her craft, her healing, and her sons. Now, it’s our turn to reawaken and restore it—to allow it to bond with and nourish our family.

There’s so much more that unfolded in just that one day. I’ll continue to share pieces of the journey, both through public posts and exclusive ones, as we navigate this new beginning — and the hard, but necessary, ending that comes with it.

I also want to open up more about why we’ve chosen to receive this gift and embrace the move, the challenges we’ve faced with my grandfather’s land and the realities of the socioeconomic area it’s rooted in, and the spiritual confirmations that have shown me — without a doubt — that this shift is divinely aligned

So, What’s Next?

Di Rooted Journey continues.

The next day/ April 21st: Back in the farmland of my late paternal grandfather, assisting my husband with his morning watering routines for the bok choy garden. Photo captured by Layah: our daughter.

This is just the next chapter—building our homestead, working in spaces that are receptive and supportive to our vision as a first-generation homesteading family.

I am truly grateful for this shift, and I want to keep sharing for our ‘Rooted Supporters’—those who give $12 or more monthly to gain access to exclusive content and help sustain us here in Jamaica.

To those who’ve been witnessing our journey: thank you. I share with authenticity, honoring the privacy of my family and community while staying open to the virtual village I know we’re building.

A Call for Support

We continue to call in support from those who feel moved by my stories — the real, lived experiences of my family’s journey, building from scratch here in Jamaica. Our Rooted Nourishment Fund on Kofi, is currently set to a goal of $2,000 — created to support us as subsistence farmers and homeschoolers, while we also begin laying the groundwork for our local organic food business.

As we prepare for this move, I’m seeking support to help us gather the resources needed for a smooth transition and grounding process. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps us make essential purchases like:

• Cleaning supplies to prepare and maintain our living space.

• Bulk food ingredients for cooking and natural produce to nourish our family.

• Refurbishment costs for any repairs or improvements that may be needed.

• Hiring a pickup truck to transport crop suckers and our few belongings to the new land.

• Purchasing basic farm tools — a fork, hoe, rake, and machete — to support my husband’s work with the land.

The work with the earth will not stop.

There is so much more to say—but for now, I must return to the sacred work of nourishing my family.

Thank you for witnessing us.

Thank you for your kindness.

Thank you for your support—in every form.

Please keep us in your prayers for growth, healing, prosperity, and protection. Feel free to comment from your spirit—I’d love to connect.

Blessings,

Makeda.

To find my kofi webpage, click the link here.

To send a donation towards our ‘Rooted Nourishment Fund’ currently set to a goal of $2000 usd to support us in our from scratch homesteading efforts, click here.

And if you feel moved to offer a solidarity gift — a donation in support of my work as a full-time blogger and home-educating mama, navigating the socioeconomic realities of life in a third-world country and the generational challenges of coming from an impoverished family — you can send your gift via CashApp: $MakedaofJamaica.

Your support empowers me in my daily duties of nourishing my family and allows me to continue showing up and sharing our journey in this digital space.

However you are able to — and choose to — support us, whether tangibly or intangibly, thank you for your kindness. May the energy you give be met with reciprocal love and support.