The Lion sleeps

I remember visiting my gramma and seeing the framed picture of JFK on the wall...reading the JFK "coffee table" book together with my grampa. I remember grampa and I walking down the road, or picking raspberries and talking about JFK, Bobby, Rose and Eddie. I grew up with the Kennedy's being part of my very own "American Royalty"....

Later in college, I actually saw Bobby Jr.'s family play football on the IU Student Union grounds...and was behind the barricades (streets were blocked off in B-town) when he married a Southern Indiana native (Emily Black? I'm not sure that's correct!)...

I bought the very 1st "George" magazine produced by John Jr., and waited in hope that his plane really didn't go down, but was lost. I mourned with so many others when the truth of that horrible accident was revealed.

I have applauded the quiet grace and presence of Caroline...and of course shook my head at the "bone-head" stuff the younger Kennedy's did... The reality is that family, is like many of our families. We love, we fight, we do STUPID things, we forgive, we grow up, we (hopefully) learn from our indiscretions and grow wiser, and we face Painful, Painful things in our relationships.

Teddy wasn't perfect, but he was passionate and full of conviction. I don't agree with him on everything, but loved his work ethic. He really LEARNED the issues and the ins/outs of programs, services, agencies...I doubt many others have done the same in our current senate.

I'm leaving for Boston to visit a friend and much of that city will be both mourning and celebrating this epic figure: a husband, father, friend, foe, servant...

SO...Ted...here's to you! Thanks for your service; thanks for growing up; thanks for showing all of us that redemption and recovery can and does happen, and that hard work really does bring about wisdom that passion can never achieve on it's own!