Remembering

I well recall this day 20 years ago. I had been working for decades with many others, towards trying to help facilitate a shared society in this place I call home. We knew that "the people on the hill" were close to a deal and you could feel the tension.. "will they or won't they?".
Like many of my age, over the period which we have euphemistically labelled "the troubles" (a bit like our "peace walls" we are masters of irony here) I have seen and experienced too many things which keep me awake at night. In my opinion, I believed that a deal was necessary if lives were to be saved and no more young hearts were to bleed.
Tomorrow, we celebrate the deal, but today I am remembering the anticipation, the wait. "If not for us - then for our children and grandchildren" was a constant refrain. So today I remember men and women of courage on all sides who made the conditions for the deal to be agreed. We may not have a functioning executive, but we have at least a binding international agreement which signals "no more bloodshed".
I may be simplifying this and for that possibility, I apologise. Nonetheless I remain a very happy Father and Grandfather today.