Love as I have Loved You, Sen. Ted Kennedy Challenge
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009I woke this morning to an 11 pound dog lapping my face, and squirreling around well before my alarm was set. A guest in my house, he obviously didn’t understand the rules. Let mommy sleep until the very last possible second. Moments later, Jack Malone comes bounding up the stairs trying to yell in a hushed tone, and get the wayward dog out of my room. I roll over in disgust and flop back on my pillow, look at the time and think…Ugh 2 more hours till I have to get up! I then close my eyes, and listen to the TV playing quietly in the background.
That’s when I heard. I slowly, in a trance get up, walk down stairs to Jack and look him dead in the eye before I burst into tears. Jack says, “Oh, hunny, I was going to wake you up early and tell you! I’m so sorry!” Why in the world is Jack sorry?
Long time advocate of gay rights, woman’s rights, children’s rights, elderly rights, soldiers rights, and anything else you can possibly think of, Senator Ted Kennedy died. Gone. I still say it in disbelief. Having had the opportunity to meet and know the amazing man, it struck me very hard!
I slowly get ready to start my day, and rush Jack to the airport, which is why he was visiting in the first place. We ride to the airport without the radio. Every station is talking about it. Every news station is talking about it. You can’t seem to get away from it! A god in Massachusetts has died.
I deposit Jack at the airport, tuck the small dog into his blanket on the seat, and turn on the radio. On occasion I will play the FM talk radio station in Massachusetts, which happens to be a Republican station. I find by hearing all sides of a topic, I gain a better view and understanding of things. I was in for the shock of a lifetime.
This station was having an all day call-in session about Ted Kennedy. The hosts, mourning the loss of a great man. The people calling to tell small stories about Ted. Were there some that called to slam Ted in their oh so conservative way… YES! Then just as quickly as they came, the host would put them in their place and remind them of something that Ted did to improve even their lives, and then quickly hang up on them. Wow!
One person called. A strict republican, very conservative man, and soldier… He called to talk about his very personal experience with Ted. He called and said that he did not agree with Ted’s politics being as conservative as he was, but wanted people to know the man. He explained that he lost both of his arms serving his country in Iraq in 2003. He went on to explain that Ted Kennedy visited him in the hospital. He stated not only did he visit in the hospital, but he would personally call and check in on him from time to time. He would personally send cards to the family home, and lastly, he had given the soldier his personal secretary’s number to reach him any time that was needed. When the soldier had need to call the number… Ted returned his call almost immediately…himself. The host asked why would Ted pay such attention to the man, and the man answered, ” I don’t know, other than Ted was there to fight for every man, not just democrats.”
Call after call came in, each one telling a small story, a personal story, of how Ted impacted their lives. Not a big story of how his policies helped us all. Not a story about how he was in the forefront of Woman’s Rights in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Not a story about how he fought segregation and was at the forefront of that too! Not a story on how he worked tirelessly for The Americans with Disabilities Act. Not a story on how he fought for side walk cutouts for those in wheel chairs. Not a story on how he fought for gay rights, and same sex marriage in Massachusetts. Now all of those things happen to be true. He did all of them, and more.
These people, these republicans, were calling in to tell stories of how be personally touched them. This in itself is a testament to who he was. He branched all barriers, and crossed all lines. Did he make mistakes? Yes, how could we ever forget them! Then you think about how he had spent the past few decades, yes decades, paying them back to each and every one of us… political party be damned!
He began to pay it back and live a selfless life. He gave to every Tom, Dick and Mary freely. He was accessible to any and all. He was the last of a legacy. He was an American in more ways than you could ever imagine.
He truly remembered what this country was founded on. It was founded on the will of people to live freely without persecution! It was founded on the fact that ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL! It does not say all men are created equal… unless you are gay! He truly believed in this country, he truly believed in all of us. That is Ted’s biggest legacy, he believed in all of us! He became the voice for all of us, the tired, the injured, the aggrieved! He championed every injustice and cause! He fought for Health Care Reform SINCE THE 1960’s! He never gave up on his dream of health care reform no matter how many times it was shot down.
As I pulled off the highway, the talk show host issued a challenge to her listeners. I thought about this challenge as I turned the corner into town and saw the church on the corner. The sign said, ” Love as I have loved you.” I thought to myself what a fitting statement for today. If Ted was able to leave us with a dying wish, I truly believe it would be to “Love as I have Loved All of You!”. And then I remembered the challenge…
So here is the challenge that the talk show host gave to all of her listeners, and now I pass on to ours…
Go out today and in honor of Senator Ted Kennedy, do one selfless act! Help one old lady cross the street, buy one person lunch at a drive thru window, donate to the homeless, ill, old, needy…… I could go on and on. We have all committed wrongs in our life. From this day forward let us live as Ted did, and give back to those that need it. Leave our own legacy behind…
Goodbye and Thank You Ted! Thank you for all you have done for all of us!
© 2009, Gay Online News. All rights reserved.
