Dtwmjj
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
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One of my fondest memories of Michael is from July of 1998. We’d arrived in Johannesburg on the 17th, the day before Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday party. On the night of the party, the kids and I waited for Michael at The Palace Hotel in Sun City – one of his favorite resorts in the world. When he arrived late that evening, I remember being exhausted. Michael, on the other hand, was full of energy. All he could talk about was how much he loved and admired Mandela. We stayed up well into the early morning talking about the party, the many famous guests and his private time with Mandela. This was the same birthday party where Mandela announced that he had proposed, and that his sweetheart, Grace Machel, would be his wife. Michael marveled at how “beautiful” it was to see Mandela so in love at the ripe old age of 80. This wasn’t the first time he’d met Mandela, and it wouldn’t be the last. What made that evening so memorable for me, was that I was struck by the fact that Mandela was one of the few people that evoked in Michael the same sense of wonder, love and admiration that the rest of the world experienced when they met Michael.
Rest in peace, Madiba. You made this world a better place.
Rest in peace, Madiba. You made this world a better place.
