Hamba Kahle Madiba

                                   
Today South Africa mourns the death of a great man, Nelson Mandela.
Mandela was known at times as evil and at times as very good.  For 50 years the people peaceably stood up for equality and when that failed they had to fight.  They were fighting to be treated fairly.  They were treated as visitors in their own land, having to carry ID with them at all times.  He fought hard for what he believed and suffered long because of it.  He preached loving one another, forgiving one another, being tolerant of those who believe differently than you and then he practiced what he preached as he forgave those who afflicted him.

              We join with South Africa in our admiration and respect for Nelson Mandela.
                                               Hamba Kahle Madiba.

                                   Some of my favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela:

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.  People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, hey can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

Money won't create success.  The freedom to make it will.

It always seems impossible until it is done.

I am fundamentally an optimist.  Whether that comes form nature or nurture, I cannot say.  Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward.  There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair.  That way lays defeat and death.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies.

I am not a saint, unless you think os a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.