We can't keep him forever...

As we all know there’s been a lot of craziness on the interwebs, social networks, news media,.. actually all over nje about President uTata Dr. Nelson Mandela’s health in the past few days

I just watched the press conference with our acting president and a surprisingly calming surgeon general I didn’t know we even had. Madiba is okay, he is old.

My heart isn’t stable at the moment because I was not worried until I watched them speak about former President and how he is doing. It hit me. We can’t keep him forever. But we can. And we can’t. 

The reality is that this man has given so much and done everything he needs to do, i think, and he is about to have conversations with God. I’m trembling just thinking of that possibility, but it is a reality. At this point I think we all just need to leave him alone to tell his grandchildren stories, the way only old people can. Leave him to laugh with his wife, say goodbye and thank you to his friends and exhale thinking of the life he has had while watching his cows in distant and sipping on green tea. 

Forget the trembling; now the tears are threatening and I don’t trust myself to speak

No offence to Graca, but in my mind, Madiba is still madly in love with and married to the beautiful and awe inspiring woman of strength that is Winnie Mandela. My friend Anele had used this picture as her twitter avatar a few weeks ago and I remember thinking “yes, this is the love I want” and I paused and thanked God that we are able to experience this love at least once in our lifetimes.

We are going to cry, tears we didn’t know we had. We are going to change because we will realise no matter how long a life is lived, it will never seem like enough time. We will gather, and for however long the moment, we will be united. We will praise, for we will never know another being like him. We will strive, because in our mourning and remembrance we will know that we need to either be or raise people who will carry the fire. 

An excerpt from Tumi’s song, Powa,  resonates even more right now – “When Mandela dies, who gon' really care about us?”

The answer to this is, us. Now. Tomorrow and forever, we need to make our home a better place in every aspect otherwise we are saying that Mandela (and crew) lived and died for nothing

To end, #MadibaRocks

We are not saying goodbye yet, but we know we can’t keep him forever