17/09/2026
Dec2018. Grief didn't find me during the weeks I was in Tonga🇹🇴 for my Fathers Funeral. It waited⏳, waited⏳ and waited til I returned Home with $0.24 to my name.
Checked into work the next day, did the same ol routine, stood in the same spot i had received the news of dads passing. Decided to quit that day, returned home.
I stood in my cold kitchen searching the cabinets & empty fridge of what to cook, found some flour, some sugar, some seasonings, some oil.
I had never baked. Did not had any experiences or baking skills whatsoever. yet, For some reason, the adrenaline I had when thinking to myself "I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I NEED to figure out how to make Jam Pies". (my dad & grandpa (rip) loved jam pies, that alone was comforting the goal for myself to learn how to make it).
but! GRIEF! The Grief. . . SHOWED UP in that moment. Lonely, Empty, Numb, Anger, Guilt, Confused, Aching. . . Lost, Anxiety, The emotions of grief was like someone putting a "Lei of Grief" around my neck unexpectedly.....like "Nia, it's your time now to grief of the passing of your father".
. . . I'm still standing in my kitchen, emotionally crying while staring at "some of the ingredients i found" while being BROKE! & BROKEN❤️🩹🕊️ & UNEMPLOYED with an invisible lei of "Grief".
Days turn into weeks, into months, into a year. I took myself to the library checked out every BAKING books there is. Watched youtube tutorial. Research/Study on the computer anything related to baking. Different recipe experiments in the kitchen; sleepless nights. couple months later. I started as a Homebakery in 2019 in Livermore,CA
I healed evidently, that I mastered my Jam Rolled Pies, and pursued all other tongan sweets such as Panikilimi, Puteni, Sekonis, Keke &etc. Throughout my grieving era I was studying the science of baking, every emotions of the lei grief i wored was healed along the way.
Me'a Melie's Bakery brought so many walk of life, Has put me in rooms that i never dreamed of. Strangers turned into customers, that turned into Me'a Melie's Families❤️. The far distance my clients
drove just to pick their bulk orders🥹. The support, The love, The "Clients of Me'a Melie's" . . . . 🤝🔐
Grieving has its power. The decision I choose at my most vulnerable time, navigated me toward an outlet, unknowingly rewarding my hardship with Healing that bloomed A new skill, new business, new journey and a very much Healed Daughter who lost her earthly Father, The late-Beloved Feleti Kaufusi🕊️.
