Everyone will have something to say about this man when he transitions to Ancestry as he is apparently on the cusp of doing. I cannot imagine a purer soul who has walked the face of this planet in the same time as I have than Nelson Mandela. He went through a crucible of injustice and hatred like so many millions and millions of our fellow human beings all over this planet, but unlike too many of the rest, he came away purified. That is my definition of a saint.
In 1990 I had the great good fortune of living in South Africa for a month. One day my hosts and I traveled to the top of Table Mountain where we had the most amazing view of Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was spending nearly his last month in prison. That was in December of 1990.
In February of 1991, I was baby sitting the son of friends and we were laying on the floor of their living room surrounded by blocks and watching the television together as Nelson Mandela walk free. He was only three and so I'm fairly certain has no memory of that day, but like other touch stones in my life, Neal Armstrong stepping on the moon, the Challenger shuttle explosion, 9/11... I will NEVER forget where I was.
Ndiya kuthanda, Uhambe kakuhle.
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