“Everyday I served and everyday I lived”
-~Ted (Edward) Kennedy, 1932-2009
Ever since Wednesday of last week, the Boston t.v. channels have forgone their regular programming to have on-location, up-to-the-minute coverage of Ted Kennedy’s passing and the homage the people of Massachusetts and New England are paying to him and his legacy.
As I curled up Wednesday evening to watch the coverage, I also grabbed my journal ( I know, I know, my mind never stops!) because I wanted to take note of what people were saying about how a man who lived and endured such incredible adversity, managed to not only survive life, but to thrive in life.
And as I watched the t.v. and took note of what others were consistently saying about Senator Kennedy, I couldn’t stop crying. As I watched the tributes and the documentations of his life, and how he lived, it cemented my beliefs about life in general and how we all deal with the challenges we’ve been given.
The question always boils down to: Do we use our challenges and adversities for the higher good, or do we use them to experience self-pity?
Being a woman who has been handed quite a few challenges in her lifetime, I know a thing or two about making the choice to be what I refer to as: spiritually optimist. Looking at life from a birds-eye view and saying: What is the lesson here? Why would I need this to make me stronger? How does this contribute to my purpose – and what I’m here to do, give and teach?
Now, of course, when you’re going through ‘it’ it’s quite difficult to have this perspective. But when you look back, almost always you see and say to yourself: “Oh I get it, that’s why that happened!”
Now, in Edward Kennedy’s life, he was known as the rock of the family – where through all the tragedies he was there for everyone else – and never once thought about himself. As his good friend Vice President Biden said, “It was always about the other person, it was never ever about him. He made you feel like the most important person in the world when you were talking to him”.
Now of course his darkness and demons showed-up and expressed themselves in different ways throughout his life, but as one reporter said: “He always struggled between light and dark, but in the end, the light won.”
I couldn’t agree more. Simply watch the news coverage of the thousands and thousands of people who lined up on the city streets of Boston and the highways all the way from Cape Cod to watch his funeral procession to see – this man made a difference. A big difference.
His signature was resilience. Being able to persevere through it all and get up everyday and know that: Life must go on.
And life certainly did go on for Ted Kennedy. Even after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor he took the high road, smiled for cameras, went out sailing on his beloved sea, and decided to live the rest of days -instead of perish and hang-up his gloves in defeat.
So the question remains for you: What do you consider a life worth living? At the end of the day, and at the end of your life, what sustainable difference do you desire to make – what legacy do you desire to leave?
All while knowing, what really matters at the end of the day is- who you love and who loved you. Are you in-love with life, living, breathing, and soaking it up, even in the hard times, knowing it’s all for your higher good? Or are you looking through another lens? A narrower lens wondering, why is this happening to me?.
I hope today’s article, and Ted Kennedy’s passing is a catalyst for you to click over to spiritually optimist view. It’s much nicer, prettier, and colorful over here, even in with the dark and the shadows, they add a nice hue to your soul’s essence and personal character!
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