11 February 1990
Twenty years ago I watched Nelson Mandela walk to freedom.
MasterM lay on the floor in front of me, 10 weeks old.
It was a moment of such pure optimism,
it seemed as though anything was possible,
and I knew that my son would grow up
in a world where apartheid was history.
Twenty years later MasterM is in the new South Africa
and I look back and wonder.
So many of the decisions that he has made
have led him to this choice
but I think that moment was the very beginning,
the start of the journey.
Perhaps it is just as well
that none of us can know
what the future will bring.
Twenty years ago I watched Nelson Mandela walk to freedom.
MasterM lay on the floor in front of me, 10 weeks old.
It was a moment of such pure optimism,
it seemed as though anything was possible,
and I knew that my son would grow up
in a world where apartheid was history.
Twenty years later MasterM is in the new South Africa
and I look back and wonder.
So many of the decisions that he has made
have led him to this choice
but I think that moment was the very beginning,
the start of the journey.
Perhaps it is just as well
that none of us can know
what the future will bring.
Just seeing that photo gave me shivers. And then reading your words gave me even more. Life is a wonder, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSuch a powerful image - along with the fall of the Berlin Wall a real 'Do you remember where you were when...' moment in modern history. Both moments many of us never thought we'd see in our lifetime
ReplyDeleteSuch an iconic photograph.
ReplyDeleteNo2 and I were talking of going to South Africa only last night. It's top of my list.
It is good that we don't know what the future will hold but it is wonderful to look back and see where we have come.
ReplyDeleteyes amazing!
ReplyDeleteThe circle of life...
I remember that day too. And yes, like Lynn, I have the shivers.
ReplyDeleteIt gave me the shivers, too. And reminded me of listening to reports of the fall of the Berlin Wall at a house on the beach over Christmas when N was one month old. Time is an odd thing --
ReplyDeleteAmazing ...
ReplyDeletePaola
So glad MasterM is enjoying his time in South Africa. Amazing how our lives can be affected by history in such powerful ways.
ReplyDelete