Today, I was out driving with Julian who is here for the weekend. We passed the spot on the road where I remember listening to the news on CCFm and hearing that Hansie Cronje had said he was not entirely honest about his part in an Indian match-fixing scandal. I also remember where I was when I heard that Hansie had died. I was standing in the reception area at CCFm, when someone came in and said there is news coming through that there had been a plane crash and Hansie is dead. I could not believe it. For a few minutes Julian and I debated over what year that could be. He said 10 years ago. I thought, ‘can’t be!’ So Julian got out his cell phone and said, “Hello Google! When did Hansie Cronje die?”
Google obliged.
“Hansie Cronje died on 1st June 2002!” Wow! Almost 14 years ago. I went onto Wiki and read that two years after his death in 2004, Hansie, despite the match fixing saga, was voted the 11th greatest South African.
Hansie endeared himself to the cricket loving world. His career was innovative and record breaking. He did South African cricket proud…..well that was until his fall from grace when he seemed to go from hero to zero overnight. But after his death, the public rose to the occasion of still appreciating all the positive that came out of his cricketing career. Death stops life. Hansie will remain forever young.
It is crazy that almost 14 years have passed since his death. The teenagers of today who want to be like AB or have pictures of Amla on their walls have no idea of who Hansie Cronje was or any knowledge of the great amount of entertainment he bought to the South African cricket-loving public . He was an exciting, confident player – a born leader who led from the front. Both his success and his failure impacted South African cricket. Someone to aspire to in the greatness of his cricket prowess and someone to learn from in the foolishness of his mistakes.
As I reflected on the swiftness of time passing, it made me want to stop the clock. Let me look at the day 6th February 2016. How can I embrace this day, this hour and enjoy it so that when suddenly another 12 years have passed, I can look back and say I enjoyed each day to the full? It’s a challenge. The Bible suggests we do just that…
Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Moses, who penned those words, must have seen the rapid passing of time and tried to slow it all down…..’teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom…”
Make good use of the time at hand. Do stuff that has eternal value. Julian does it better than I.
There was a man at Canal Walk, sitting dully next to the pay station. I chose the other one so I need not confront him. As we paid for parking and walked towards the car, Julian backtracked….he went to the man and put some money in his tin.
Well done Julian.
Proverbs 19:17
“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done.”
Most things that are good, go against the natural grain of how we feel we should behave. I have to pause and ask, ‘what is right?’
I need to practice.
I need to pause.
Humbled.
Hansie is where time has stopped. Here, I have time. I must use it well.
I can do better.
And I will.
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂