Elizabeth Edwards recorded these words to her children:
“...when they are older and telling their own children about their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way – and it surely has not – she adjusted her sails.”
You can hear her read them at a minute and a half into Diane Sawyer's report here.
I took a moment to think about Elizabeth Edwards tonight, and was so sad to think about her two youngest children, not even teenagers, having to grow up without a mom. I read that when she learned her cancer was back and in her bones, all she wanted was 8 more years, so she could see them through high school, and do the job she was meant to do. She did not get her wish. I thought about her birthing her last two babies at 48 and 50, the optimism and hope and strength inherent in that act, particularly after enduring the loss of her son to a freak car accident at 16. I would not have been so brave.
The first time she popped on my radar, prior to the political aspirations of her husband, was as an author. She wrote the forward to a book I love called Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart , by Gordon Livingston. They met online in a chatroom for bereaved parents. The book is just wonderful, written by a psychiatrist who boils lifes troubles and wisdom down to its essence. I recommend it for anyone in need of perspective or healing.
“...when they are older and telling their own children about their grandmother, they will be able to say that she stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way – and it surely has not – she adjusted her sails.”
You can hear her read them at a minute and a half into Diane Sawyer's report here.
I took a moment to think about Elizabeth Edwards tonight, and was so sad to think about her two youngest children, not even teenagers, having to grow up without a mom. I read that when she learned her cancer was back and in her bones, all she wanted was 8 more years, so she could see them through high school, and do the job she was meant to do. She did not get her wish. I thought about her birthing her last two babies at 48 and 50, the optimism and hope and strength inherent in that act, particularly after enduring the loss of her son to a freak car accident at 16. I would not have been so brave.
The first time she popped on my radar, prior to the political aspirations of her husband, was as an author. She wrote the forward to a book I love called Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart , by Gordon Livingston. They met online in a chatroom for bereaved parents. The book is just wonderful, written by a psychiatrist who boils lifes troubles and wisdom down to its essence. I recommend it for anyone in need of perspective or healing.
Lord, that woman had enough to deal with in life, losing a child and fighting cancer, and then, just like in a trashy novel, her husband turns out to be a liar and a cheater, likely using her to keep his public image intact. She weathered that humiliation with more class than I could have mustered. I heard her divorce was to be final next month, and I wonder if she cared that she was unable to finalize it, or if she was able to let all that go in the end. I hope that she is remembered not for her husband's failings, but for her accomplishments, her career, her books, her fierce motherhood, her integrity, her grace, her courage and her humanity.
Here are some more of her words. I hope she rests in peace.
The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human.
But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact on the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.
When she first got cancer and her husband continued his campaign it upset me, knowing that they had young children.
ReplyDeleteHistory will be kind to her, and deservedly so and will not deal so well with him.
He was with her and their children at the end, I read, and I think she was a soul filled with forgiveness and grace. She will always be an inspiration to me.
ReplyDeleteI feel as if I knew her. I am saddened by her death. My mother put it best, no matter what, she was always a lady.
ReplyDeleteMy word verification was 'pants'. Seems fitting since John was unable to keep his zipped.
ReplyDeleteI really wanted to write something about her passing and what a fabulously strong woman she was...but time got away from me. I remember thinking I'd like to be remembered that way (the first excerpt) when I'm gone. Your words are wonderfully written. Could not have done better.
ReplyDelete