I've taken the loss of Ted Kennedy harder than I thought I would, even though we've known for over a year now that he had a brain tumor. I think the fact that he made it through the election, then the inauguration of Barack Obama, I began to feel like that maybe he would make it; or maybe I just missed the passage of time. I don't know, but the memories of the other two brothers also came flooding back, especially with the television reports about their lives. They were all great Irishmen, and like all Irishmen, loved a good tune.
Here's one from Davy Spillane when he played with the original Riverdance. Enjoy:
Here's one from Davy Spillane when he played with the original Riverdance. Enjoy:
Senator Kennedy you will be missed!
Oh, don’t grieve long for me for I am not far away!
Remember my smile, my sense of humor, the family love and friends I cherish!
And know I am not far away!
As for me, I am soaring heavens highest seas to touch the eagles above
Where angels soar and peace abounds
No pain, no suffering and beauty surrounds
Know that your spirit is with me and mine with you
Although we are a part for now, know I am not far away
I am waiting
Take your time
And today on the chron, the usual human lowlifes are still posting their hatred on the thread about GHWB not attending Sen. Kennedy's funeral. I do believe Bush 41 is making a mistake in not attending. They are claiming he is getting older and it's harder for him to attend.
Wasn't too hard for him to jump out of an airplane again recently.
He should be there. Even if his lamebrain son is also attending.
But all those cretins making their vicious comments about Kennedy just make me ill.
I am afraid for my country.
Very afraid.
And I hope Karl Rove rots in hell for the uber-partisanship he created.
On the website the family has for providing messages (I posted a message), there is a link to his speeches. One of the speeches available is his 1968 eulogy for Bobby.
I replayed it last night. It reverberated in me just as it did back then, but of course with the passage of 41 years, I understand it so much better.
The emotion in his voice......I can only wonder at the strength it takes to stand up and eulogize your only surviving brother like that.
And for those who disparage him because of Chappaquidick, yes he made some horrendous mistakes.
But I think BECAUSE of that, it ultimately made him a better man. He had some pretty fierce demons. But in the end, the work he was able to accomplish outweighed those demons.
Who among us could say the same about ourselves?
God Bless You, Uncle Teddy.
Today on CNN, Rick Sanchez showed most of it with some really great pictures. One of the best things I've seen portraying segments of hs life. Ricks described it as one of the best he'd ever seen or heard. I find it difficult to disagree with that.
His eulogy made such an impression on me back in 1968. Heartbreaking.
I can still hear his voice trembling and cracking when he said ".....saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it....". And when he talked about taking Bobby "...to his rest today...." his voice trembled and 41 years later (can it really be that long ago?) I can still hear it.
One of the TV stations ran a headline under his photo last night as "The last son of Camelot".
Well that did me in. My connection to the good ol' days and "Camelot" came unwound. We so desperately NEED a new beginning.
My brightest memory of Teddy was his impassioned words at the funeral for Bobby. His grief was palpable and genuine.
In my mind he was the only Senator we had who truly fought for the people. I think he truly cared and always fought the good fight. He could probably have chaired any Senate committee he wanted but he chose the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which probably affects more of us than any other. Ina more perfect world he would typify the average Congressman rather than stand out as the exception.
God keep you, Teddy.
I was in Boston yesterday and the sorrow was palpable. The hotel restaurant was unusually quiet during breakfast as everyone was trying to deal with their grief. As I walked to the office, fellow pedestrians looked glum. At work we expressed sadness that that Kennedy didn't live to see his health care dream come true. We hope that his death will be a spark that inspires Democrats to pass this legislation with or without the GOP. They should do it for Teddy.
8/23 was the six year anniversary of losing my oldest sister, Linda, to brain cancer.
When i blogged about it, I wrote how I didn't imagine that it would get easier, but it did. Now when I think of her daily, it is with happy thoughts. She was so amazing.
I wrote, "She continues to be an inspiration to be a better person. She was so guileless, kind and generous. There was a void of good left when she passed away and I am ill equipped to fill it. I will do my part, but I need y'all to help, too."
I hope this is what happens going forward. I hope that people remain inspired or become more so as the memorials hit the airwaves and web pages. I hope that people step up and continue doing his great work.(Eunice's too).
That would be the best thing we could do for his memory.
Something I read on Daily Kos this morning:
Ted Kennedy was America's "Senator-At-Large."
He represented not only his beloved Commonwealth,
he represented all of us.
My heart also hurts, and my eyes stay full of tears.
We will all miss our "Senator-At-Large".
Yes, a very sad day. I'm too young to remember JFK and RFK but I remember Senator Kennedy vaguely while he ran against Jimmy Carter, I think I was about 7 or 8. I hope and pray that his passing will not be in vain. Now more than ever, I call on someone to step forward and lead the fight on all the important matters and causes that surely will benefit all in our country. Imagine life with a lot of the important legislation that he helped pass during his tenure in the Senate.
Seeing his picture on the front page of yesterday's paper made me lose it. Looking at his web page got to me.
I keep thinking he was gifted with something none of his brothers had: time. Time to grow old(er). Time to accept his diagnosis and acknowledge it. Time to spend with his family. Time to say those goodbyes.
What made me tear up this morning was reading his comment to a colleague recently, that he was looking forward to a reunion with his siblings, especially his brothers.
I lost it then. And I'm still wiping tears from my eyes.
My heart is heavy.
Yeah, I'm feeling more emotion than I expected, too. Seeing his Senate web page yesterday made me lose it. I remember well the deaths of his two brothers. The Kennedy family has its share of tragedies and failures, but we cannot overstate the positive impacts they have had on all of us.
People my age have lots of memories that include the Kennedy family. It's hard to describe what I'm feeling because I'm not so good with words, but my heart hurts.
I don't think any of us knows at this point just how MUCH we're going to miss Ted Kennedy. For those of us who are old enough to actually remember John F. Kennedy's presidency, it seemed that at least some remnant of his birth family would be around forever. Now there is only one left, and she lives a relatively quiet life.
My hope is that the next generation of the Kennedys will emerge and be models of public service like the generation before them.