Mandisa Zenaya Mlitwa is a 21-year-old South African woman who has many things to be grateful for in her life. But of all the things she’s blessed with, it’s her set of adoptive parents that she’s most thankful for.
In March, Mandisa posted a heartwarming tribute to her parents on Facebook.
She talked about being an adopted child blessed with “wonderful people” in her path, referring to her white adoptive parents.
Mandisa said she feels loved every single day and wakes up in the mornings greeted by sweet hugs.
When she’s in trouble, she doesn’t worry because her dad is just a call away. He’s always ready to help her and shows up when she needs him.
However, tragedy came into their lives when her mom passed away from cancer in March 2020. So now, it’s just her and her father, whom she likes to call “pops.”
Mandisa’s dad has always treated her like a princess. He always takes her out on lunches, opens doors for her, hugs her every day, tells her he loves her, makes her breakfast, and even helps her wash her hair.
Calling him her “best friend,” Mandisa said she can talk to her dad about dating—something that many children are hesitant to discuss with their folks.
But for Mandisa, there’s no need to worry about what her dad might say about her lovelife because he a “cool dad” who just wants what’s best for her.
Indeed, Mandisa has been blessed with an extraordinary father!
When she’s out with her father, people often mistake him for her “sugar daddy,” an assumption that Mandisa just chooses to laugh off. Some people have a hard time believing they are a father-and-daughter, probably because of the different color of their skin.
But that didn’t matter at all because this woman was so dearly loved.
Mandisa said her parents clothed her and sent her to school without expecting anything in return. But, more than that, she felt loved every single day, and that’s something she will be forever grateful for.
Although Mandisa is heartbroken over her mom’s passing, she’s still thankful to God for making her feel loved despite the loss.
Above all, she is thankful to have parents who took her in and loved her as if she were their own.
Mandisa’s emotional Facebook post has gone viral within two months, garnering over 22K reactions and 4.4K shares.
You can read her touching tribute below:
“I wanna take this opportunity and thank God for putting these wonderful people in my path. I am an adopted child. I feel loved every single day, I wake up in the morning, and I am hugged. I call when I am in trouble, and my dad is right there within a short space of time.
This month last year, we lost my mom to cancer, so now it is just my pops and I. I always laugh when we are out and people think he is my sugar daddy. Angilazi uthando olungaka!!! They clothed me and took me to school and didn’t expect anything in return!!
I feel loved every single day. My dad, he takes me out on lunches, he opens doors for me, he hugs me every day, tells me he loves me, helps me wash my hair njalo mangikade ngilukile, he makes me breakfast and I’m 21!!
He buys me my favorite foods and drinks…he is my best friend!! I can even talk to him about dating. He is so cool!! Thank you, God, you took my mom, but I still feel loved, and I will forever be grateful for her and my dad taking me in and loving me like their very own. RIP, mom.”
A person’s ability to love with no regard to skin color is beautiful and something that must be celebrated and shared.