Thinking of Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy has always been for me living evidence of the grace that can transform human lives.

I think there have rarely been such callow and obviously unsuitable inheritors of great mantles as Ted Kennedy. Born to live in the shadow of his older brothers, it took tragic deaths to change things. His first steps did not bode well; he demonstrated an unbounded selfishness and carelessness that actual led to the loss of human life.

And yet he persevered.

And he grew.

And he changed. A party boy for way too long, he nonetheless also became a fierce advocate for racial justice, economic justice, for the poor, the disabled, the downtrodden. Those who would otherwise not have a voice, he provided it. And he backed that voice with muscle.

Over the years he has become one of the most important figures in the history of the American senate.

Now he lies gravely ill. On television commentators have to constantly correct themselves as they slip into the past tense when speaking of him. Senator Robert Byrd wept. Only Chris Dodd made no such slip, fierce in his devotion for his old friend and colleague…

I won’t make the mistake of using the past tense here.

He has proven to be a fighter.

And may his fight continue.

God bless you, Ted Kennedy, American hero…