Teddy Kennedy, again? Still? I hear some people groaning.
The funeral was a week ago.
Why are we still talking about him? It was so many news cycles ago.
Can't we move on? Well, no; we can't.
Not quite yet.
Grief doesn't work that way, on the media's timetable, even if the grief is for someone you don't know personally.
Ted Kennedy was my Senator for most of my life; I'm not really sure I even remember a time when he wasn't.
I cried quite a bit in the days after Teddy's death.
I still grieve for the man who laughed heartily, sang unselfconsciously, loved all his "children" (which included nieces, nephews and their children) unconditionally, encouraged uncountable people and found common ground with the most unlikely among them.
Of all the thoughts about Ted that swirled around us during the official days of mourning, the ones that have provoked the most reflection for me are about his optimism, tenacity and the question of redemption.
OPTIMISM Optimism does not always come easily for me.
I'm working on it.
My study of--and appreciation for--Positive Psychology tells me this is one of the most important and malleable virtues that determines how happy we are.
Teddy had boundless optimism.
How? He lost two siblings while still a teenager.
He lost two more older brothers suddenly to violence and needed to grieve those losses publicly.
Could you have done that and still remained optimistic? We're told that for a time, he expected to die a young, violent death himself.
And yet he continued to believe things would and could get better--and that he/we/anyone could be a part of creating that progress.
Which takes me to the next idea..
..
TENACITY What's the definition of "tenacity?" How about working for 47 years for healthcare reform? The audacity and sheer stubbornness of that has had me laughing all week (any wonder that I'm proud he was my Senator?).
In the face of implacable inertia, legislative bureaucracy and powerful business opposition, he pressed on.
Through it all, he helped constituents on a one-by-one basis, and literally stood by them as they grieved their own sorrows caused by insurance denials and red tape.
He saw the big picture yet didn't miss the suffering happening on the ground.
He was relentless.
Because of that, we each have much for which to thank him.
REDEMPTION This is, of course, the hardest to discuss for many reasons.
First, because it's a more personal, complex, and controversial idea than the apple-pie-and-motherhood virtues of optimism and tenacity.
Secondly, Teddy's flaws were much more public and (in one case) seemed more dramatic than our own--or at least, that's what many people wanted to believe (casting stones and all that).
We're told that he privately owned up to his demons and fought them his whole adult life.
His faith was stronger and more central to his life than many understood.
His commitment to social justice was rooted in his Catholicism.
There has been much consternation about his stands on abortion rights, stem cell research and divorce.
How dare he receive Communion--that "cafeteria-Catholic!" The part of Catholicism I love tells me I MUST obey my own conscience no matter what the Pope himself says.
Yes, that's true.
Many Catholics miss that lesson.
The edict isn't to 'do whatever you want;' it's to educate yourself, reflect, pray, use your Reason, then make a decision based on your own conscience.
Millions of Catholics do just that regarding using birth control and other personal decisions every day.
For the mistakes we make anyway, there is the hope of "Redemption"-- the idea that we get second chances, that our lives don't have to be destroyed by one action that can't ever be undone.
Redemption, of course, requires contrition and a pledge to do better.
Teddy did better.
In the days after Teddy's death, a friend of mine said, "I remember how angry my father was about Chappaquiddick when it happened, but my goodness, how he redeemed himself with how he lived the last 40 years of his life!" In closing, I'd like to thank Senator Ted Kennedy for using his optimism and tenacity to improve all our lives.
A fair reading of the list below, I believe, will show that there is hardly a person in America who has not personally benefited from his work.
In researching and writing this list, I have "borrowed" heavily from a commenter named DebateThis on the gretawire blog.
Thanks, unknown person.
Thank you, Teddy, for Medicare.
'Nuff said.
Thank you, Teddy, for Title IX, a bill that required colleges and universities to provide equal funding for men's and women's athletics Thank you, Teddy, for The Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires employers to give employees unpaid leave for the birth of a child or for family emergencies.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Americans with Disabilities Act, to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
Thank you, Teddy, for COBRA, The Kennedy-Kassebaum Act that lets employees keep health insurance after leaving their jobs for a set period and prohibits insurance companies from denying renewal of care due to preexisting medical conditions.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which made it illegal for employers to fire women for leave taken due to pregnancy.
Thank you, Teddy, for National Cancer Act, which quadrupled the amount spent on cancer research establishing the Federal Cancer Research Program Thank you, Teddy, for Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments, which expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.
Thank you, Teddy, for CHIP or Children's Health Insurance Program which provides basic healthcare services to very poor children.
Thank you, Teddy, for Voting Rights Act Extension, which essentially lowered the voting age to 18.
Thank you, Teddy, for National Competitiveness Investment Act, creating partnerships between National Laboratories and local high-need high schools to establish centers of excellence in math and science education.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Pensions Protection Act of 2006 which...
protected pensions.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 which makes it possible for us to know what's in our food by the labels on the packaging.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Mental Health Parity Act, which for the first time requires insurance companies to cover mental illness on a par with physical illness.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Family Opportunity Act, allowing states to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act of 1986.
Thank you, Teddy, for The NIH Revitalization Act, legislation that called for the inclusion of women and minorities in federally funded clinical research.
Thank you, Teddy, for Direct Loan Program in 1993 that allowed students to borrow directly from the federal government rather than be dependent (hostage?) to private loans.
Thank you, Teddy, for The National Community Services Act, a renewed focus on encouraging volunteering in America Thank you, Teddy, for National Military Child Care Act, which established the Department of Defense's child care program.
This allowed working spouses of military members and women who were enlisted themselves to have access to high-quality, federally funded child care.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Ryan White AIDS Care Act which sought funding to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families.
For all this and much more, thank you.
The funeral was a week ago.
Why are we still talking about him? It was so many news cycles ago.
Can't we move on? Well, no; we can't.
Not quite yet.
Grief doesn't work that way, on the media's timetable, even if the grief is for someone you don't know personally.
Ted Kennedy was my Senator for most of my life; I'm not really sure I even remember a time when he wasn't.
I cried quite a bit in the days after Teddy's death.
I still grieve for the man who laughed heartily, sang unselfconsciously, loved all his "children" (which included nieces, nephews and their children) unconditionally, encouraged uncountable people and found common ground with the most unlikely among them.
Of all the thoughts about Ted that swirled around us during the official days of mourning, the ones that have provoked the most reflection for me are about his optimism, tenacity and the question of redemption.
OPTIMISM Optimism does not always come easily for me.
I'm working on it.
My study of--and appreciation for--Positive Psychology tells me this is one of the most important and malleable virtues that determines how happy we are.
Teddy had boundless optimism.
How? He lost two siblings while still a teenager.
He lost two more older brothers suddenly to violence and needed to grieve those losses publicly.
Could you have done that and still remained optimistic? We're told that for a time, he expected to die a young, violent death himself.
And yet he continued to believe things would and could get better--and that he/we/anyone could be a part of creating that progress.
Which takes me to the next idea..
..
TENACITY What's the definition of "tenacity?" How about working for 47 years for healthcare reform? The audacity and sheer stubbornness of that has had me laughing all week (any wonder that I'm proud he was my Senator?).
In the face of implacable inertia, legislative bureaucracy and powerful business opposition, he pressed on.
Through it all, he helped constituents on a one-by-one basis, and literally stood by them as they grieved their own sorrows caused by insurance denials and red tape.
He saw the big picture yet didn't miss the suffering happening on the ground.
He was relentless.
Because of that, we each have much for which to thank him.
REDEMPTION This is, of course, the hardest to discuss for many reasons.
First, because it's a more personal, complex, and controversial idea than the apple-pie-and-motherhood virtues of optimism and tenacity.
Secondly, Teddy's flaws were much more public and (in one case) seemed more dramatic than our own--or at least, that's what many people wanted to believe (casting stones and all that).
We're told that he privately owned up to his demons and fought them his whole adult life.
His faith was stronger and more central to his life than many understood.
His commitment to social justice was rooted in his Catholicism.
There has been much consternation about his stands on abortion rights, stem cell research and divorce.
How dare he receive Communion--that "cafeteria-Catholic!" The part of Catholicism I love tells me I MUST obey my own conscience no matter what the Pope himself says.
Yes, that's true.
Many Catholics miss that lesson.
The edict isn't to 'do whatever you want;' it's to educate yourself, reflect, pray, use your Reason, then make a decision based on your own conscience.
Millions of Catholics do just that regarding using birth control and other personal decisions every day.
For the mistakes we make anyway, there is the hope of "Redemption"-- the idea that we get second chances, that our lives don't have to be destroyed by one action that can't ever be undone.
Redemption, of course, requires contrition and a pledge to do better.
Teddy did better.
In the days after Teddy's death, a friend of mine said, "I remember how angry my father was about Chappaquiddick when it happened, but my goodness, how he redeemed himself with how he lived the last 40 years of his life!" In closing, I'd like to thank Senator Ted Kennedy for using his optimism and tenacity to improve all our lives.
A fair reading of the list below, I believe, will show that there is hardly a person in America who has not personally benefited from his work.
In researching and writing this list, I have "borrowed" heavily from a commenter named DebateThis on the gretawire blog.
Thanks, unknown person.
Thank you, Teddy, for Medicare.
'Nuff said.
Thank you, Teddy, for Title IX, a bill that required colleges and universities to provide equal funding for men's and women's athletics Thank you, Teddy, for The Family and Medical Leave Act, which requires employers to give employees unpaid leave for the birth of a child or for family emergencies.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Americans with Disabilities Act, to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
Thank you, Teddy, for COBRA, The Kennedy-Kassebaum Act that lets employees keep health insurance after leaving their jobs for a set period and prohibits insurance companies from denying renewal of care due to preexisting medical conditions.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which made it illegal for employers to fire women for leave taken due to pregnancy.
Thank you, Teddy, for National Cancer Act, which quadrupled the amount spent on cancer research establishing the Federal Cancer Research Program Thank you, Teddy, for Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments, which expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability.
Thank you, Teddy, for CHIP or Children's Health Insurance Program which provides basic healthcare services to very poor children.
Thank you, Teddy, for Voting Rights Act Extension, which essentially lowered the voting age to 18.
Thank you, Teddy, for National Competitiveness Investment Act, creating partnerships between National Laboratories and local high-need high schools to establish centers of excellence in math and science education.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Pensions Protection Act of 2006 which...
protected pensions.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 which makes it possible for us to know what's in our food by the labels on the packaging.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Mental Health Parity Act, which for the first time requires insurance companies to cover mental illness on a par with physical illness.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Family Opportunity Act, allowing states to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Protection and Advocacy for Mentally Ill Individuals Act of 1986.
Thank you, Teddy, for The NIH Revitalization Act, legislation that called for the inclusion of women and minorities in federally funded clinical research.
Thank you, Teddy, for Direct Loan Program in 1993 that allowed students to borrow directly from the federal government rather than be dependent (hostage?) to private loans.
Thank you, Teddy, for The National Community Services Act, a renewed focus on encouraging volunteering in America Thank you, Teddy, for National Military Child Care Act, which established the Department of Defense's child care program.
This allowed working spouses of military members and women who were enlisted themselves to have access to high-quality, federally funded child care.
Thank you, Teddy, for The Ryan White AIDS Care Act which sought funding to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families.
For all this and much more, thank you.