Through My Eyes

As our Tata, (which coincidently also means father in Polish) fights for his life in some cold hospital bed, it is time to reflect on our own mortality and the inevitable.

In three weeks time Madiba will celebrate his 91st birthday and what a brilliant thing it would be for the entire nation to celebrate his birthday with him. Imagine how absolutely fantastic it would be, I can already hear the corks popping.

My own father in law, Eric Yoko, has just turned 90 and we helped him celebrate his birthday in a true "Yoko" style. One hundred of his close friends and family gathered in a stylish country club in Johannesburg to pay respects to a man who still drives himself to the supermarket and does his own shopping, not to mention attending his legendary Eisbein Club and the regular lunch dates with his buddies that turn to dinners.

Like Madiba, Eric did not have an easy life. As a very young man, he grew a moustache and to get himself drafted to fight the Nazis in North Africa. The tough conditions taught him to be a survivor, it also taught him to laugh a lot, thankfully it did not turn him bitter on the contrary he is the merriest man I know.

I love my father in law. He is kind and gentle and he has always shown such a big heart to my family and I. The many holidays that he spent in our home he brought nothing but noble vibes and good whiskey.

But one of the main reasons why I love my father in law is that he has made such a fabulous job on my own husband, it has to be said that anyone who has met my husband would agree that Eric's son Tomas is a man of his word and honour and I place responsibility for that entirely on Eric's and his late wife Mavis' doorstep.

In eighteen months my own grandmother will turn one hundred and though she has lost touch with the outside world and cannot live without medical care, we visit her regularly. To us she is alive and relevant. When I look into her eyes I see my father, I see my children and I am so proud of her resilience and her strength.

As we pray for Madiba's quick recovery, lets focus on the old people in our communities. People that no longer fit into our society. Forgotten, displaced and discarded by circumstances. Lets not forget that soon it might be our fate, so include them in our lives wherever we can.