Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Tribute to Senator Teddy Kennedy

,Yesterday, I was glued to the television screen watching the procession and funeral services of Ted Kennedy. I learned many things that I didn’t know about him. For instance, did you know that Teddy was recruited by the Green Bay Packers to play football for them when he graduated from college? They lost him to a higher calling as he went on to law school. Of course, you die-hard Green Bay Packer fans probably don’t think there’s anything better than being a football player for your team. Grin.

I learned that because of his son’s bone cancer and becoming an amputee that he fought for health care for everyone despite their station in life, for equality for all, and for those with disabilities. These are only a few things he sought for the people of this country, there were numerous others.

He was passionate in his beliefs and as a legislator in the U. S. Senate he roared, thus he was nicknamed, The Lion. At the end of the day, he was friends with his adversaries no matter how heated they became during the hearings on whatever was being debated that day.

Ted Kennedy lived through many tragedies, but he didn’t live in the past, he continued to move forward. He made mistakes and admitted to them. He was raised in a family that taught him and his siblings that because they were blessed with so much more than the average man they were responsible for helping those with less. He shouldered this responsibility as his brothers, John and Bobby, before him.

Something else, I remember hearing during the motorcade was that Ted Kennedy got a bill passed to have ramps placed at all public buildings for wheelchair access. On another note, I heard that when Irish emigrates came to America they were not hired for jobs because they were Irish. I am sure this had something to do with the Kennedy clan being so against any type of discrimination.

He believed in church, family and country. Ted taught his children, his nephews, nieces, and grandchildren their moral responsibility to country and to those less fortunate. Like all good fathers, I’m sure he spoke with them often on the topic until it was ingrained in their psyche. Now, I wait with baited breath to see who will carry the torch in the future.
I have no doubt there will be someone.

Thanks for your service to our country, Senator Ted Kennedy. My belief is that you have been redeemed. I know you have fulfilled God’s plan for you, or your turn to rest would not have come yet.

I have rambled today, but these are just some of my observations and thoughts after watching the proceedings yesterday.

Have a great week.
Sandy

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sandy,

Some great thoughts and interesting points I didn't know. I didn't get to watch it all, so it would good to get the hightlights.

I think the man had a lot of passion for what he did. You have to respect that.

Thanks.
CC

Sandy said...

Hi CC,

I have been getting a lot of private comments from people, and they only one thing about the man. They only remember in his youth that he drove off a bridge and killed a young woman.

Life is difficult for everyone, but everyone must do what they are put here for.

Thanks, CC.

K.T. Bishop said...

I always considered John F. and Robert F. Kennedy were the ones who did the work...

Anonymous said...

It's not right to weigh a person's life by only one act, but the wrongful death of Mary Jo Kopeckne at Chappaquiddic was the scandal of my childhood. And no one has brought it up during the past few days.

I remember my grandfather, a die-hard democrat, listening to TK's sorry excuses for not calling for help for that poor young woman (who drowned after making use of the air pocket in the submerged car for hours). My granddad said, "That man is a liar and a coward."

And the only thing that happened to TK over the incident was that he wasn't able to run for president. What a tragedy.

Sandy said...

Hi K.T.,

Not really, they didn't live long enough. They just started it. Ted Kennedy was the one who got Martin Luther King's holiday passed among other things.

Thanks for coming by.

Sandy said...

Anonymous,

Everyone thought the same thing when it happened. We don't know the situation, or the condition they were both in.

He did run for President, but he lost to Carter.

The death has been mentioned many times on the news media, and also in the Ted Kennedy documentary. I'm not sure how any of us would react in a situation like that. In the documentary, he says he went down numerous times trying to get to her, but became exhausted. He said he was in shock, and I can understand that.

I have always been sure I would act a certain way in a situation, but one time I was actually in that position, and I didn't do anything I thought I would.

Thanks for coming by. I appreciate your comment.

J Hali Steele said...

He did a lot of good for our country in his position as a senator. May he rest in peace.

LM Spangler said...

The senator did do a lot of good for our country as J Hali said. I, too, hope his soul rests in peace.

Liena~

Sandy said...

Yes, J, he did a lot of good for our country, and the things that happened to him in his life was what he worked to right.

It was difficult for him as a father to watch parents begging for services for their children with cancer and not getting it because they had given all they had (mortgaged homes, used savings, borrowed money, etc.)to give. This was a wrong he gave his life to trying to change.

I hope and believe he is resting in people with full forgiveness from God. None of us are perfect, nor are we his judge.

Thanks for coming by, J.

Sandy said...

Thanks, Liena.

I'm sure most people don't know what he contributed nor would they want to attribute anything good to him.

Linda LaRoque said...

Nice post, Sandy. Regardless of his political stance and his mistakes, Ted Kennedy did a lot for this country. He deserves to be honored and remembered for those things.

Sandy said...

Thank you, Linda, for commenting.

I feel the same way you do about his mistakes. However, I do agree with some of his political stance. Smile.

Anonymous said...

I would like to add here, that many of you know I'm an American married and living in the U.K.and when Mr. Kennedy's death was announced many Northern Irish statesmen, Unionist--representatives of the Protestant faction in N.I. said how greatly Mr. Kennedy was respected there.
He worked tirelessly to further the peace talks between the two opposing parties, and he gained much respect from all quarters--all quarters!
I have to say that I was emotional reading that and hearing it on tv and radio.
He was a remarkable man from a remarkable family.
He will be missed all over the world, wherever people seek greater things--betterment for all, freedom and so on.