Nelson Mandela... It's time to go

While South African, Africans and indeed the rest of the world is praying for Nelson Mandela to pull through his latest hospital visit, I think it's time we prepare ourselves for the inevitable truth that his time has come to exit this world.  Mandela, the great Madiba's time has come.  He has inspired us for 95 solid years and has bred a generation of Freedom Fighters for generations to come. His spirit of forgiveness and unity has made the world a better place; surely the world is a sadder place with him.

I was privileged to meet and shake hands with him during his visit to Ireland at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics held in Dublin in 2003.  I remember that day quite as it was one of the proudest moment of my life.  I was in a friend's house just a stone throw away from the newly built Croke Park when the ceremony kicked off.  After a while, I decided to leave and told my friend am gonna ride my bike along there to see what the fuse was all about.  Riding past the entrance of the gate, I decided to stop and park my bike to see if I can get into the venue without a ticket.  I was just standing at the gate when the police escorts which we thought was carrying the President of Ireland drove into the street and ordered everyone including the stewards to stop.  So we all stopped and stood at the entrance.  Surprisingly, the doors to one of the cars flung open and there and behold, Nelson Mandela came out.  To our greatest surprise, he walked up to where we were all standing and started shaking hands with the stewards and I remember thinking to myself... If he keeps shaking hands it's gonna get to my turn and lo and behold he came over to me and shaked my hands and uttered the words that I will always remember "how are you my son".  I didn't reply because I was in shock.  I remembered some of the stewards crying with shock at having been privileged enough to shake hands with Madiba.  We were then able to get inside the venue and when Bono introduced him to the crowed, I was standing just close to where President Mary McAlesee was sitting and she and most of the crowed was in tears.

Madiba as he is fondly called in South Africa has lived the life most of us would not contemplate living and truly, it's time.

We should be happy that he lived in this generation and we were privilege go be around to witness his life and times...