The following evening, Nelson Mandela, who had also attended the U.N. session, visited us at the White House with his wife, Graça Machel. At a reception for African American religious leaders in the East Room, Mandela spoke about his genuine love and respect for Bill. After praising the relationship Bill had forged with South Africa and the rest of the continent, Mandela noted gently, "We have often said that our morality does not allow us to desert our friends." He turned to Bill and addressed him directly. "And we have got to say tonight, we are thinking of you in this difficult and uncertain time in your life, if our expectations, if our fondest prayers and dreams are not realized," he said, "then we should all bear in mind that the greatest glory of living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall."

I was still trying to rise. By seeing each hour through to the end, and starting over every morning, I was rebuilding my life imperceptibly, one day at a time. It was a challenge to forgive Bill; the prospect of forgiving the hired guns of the right wing seemed beyond me. If Mandela could forgive, I would try. But it was hard, even with the help of many friends.