FAREWELL HAIKU

Ev'ry one loved you
That Smile we could not forget
Sorely you'll be missed

GOOD-BYE, "GRAN FROMAGE"

The week could not end without a few words - maybe more than a few - about Teddy Kennedy. LOST has been awash in emotion since the expected announcement that the lion has roared for the last time; it was imminent, it seemed, when he was unable to attend the rites for his sister Eunice Shriver - no way the man misses that unless he was physically unable to do so. So many others have already weighed in, some far more eloquently than LOST could, and some with the gritted teeth that could only be sported by the likes of George Will - who couldn't say one nice thing without tossing out at least one accompanying slam or two. Enough about the negative, though. Teddy was a man who lived his life in service to those who would never have it as good as he did. Like many affluent people, he could have turned his back, or stayed within his ornate circle, and never ventured beyond the walls of the family compound. He could have elected for this in 1963, or in 1968, or in the 1980s after losing a presidential bid, and ending his first marriage, and no one would have questioned at all. He fell down publicly and repeatedly. But he got back up, each time, dusted himself off and kept moving forward, advocating for those who had no influence, limited means, and scant opportunity.

Listing his legislative accomplishments would take hours; but courtesy of "the Rude Pundit" here's a few highlights worth noting:

Do you like your state and not the federal government controlling the curriculum of your kids' schools? Thank Ted Kennedy.

Do you like being able to vote starting at age 18? Thank Ted Kennedy.

Do you think low-income people should get help with heating their homes in the winter? Thank the man.

Do you think the federal government should fund cancer research? Yep.

Do you believe that Meals on Wheels is a good thing? Ditto.

Does your daughter (or you, if you're female) like playing soccer or basketball or softball at school? That'd be because of Ted Kennedy.

Do you think that disabled people should be able to go to school? Have access to buildings? Not be discriminated against for housing and loads of other things? Kennedy, big time.

You like your cheap airfares? You know the answer.

You think people on welfare oughta get jobs? So did Kennedy.

You think mental institutions should treat people humanely? Yeah, so did your new friend, Ted Kennedy.

You believe that the Defense Department should provide child care for the kids of soldiers? Kennedy did.

You think a woman shouldn't lose her job if she gets pregnant? You think 100,000 more cops on the street's a good idea? You think poor kids should have health care? You think soldiers in Iraq should have the proper armor? Just tick those things off the list. Some of them would have been accomplished without him; many would not have been.


Even in this flaming red pustle in the midst of a blue state - one which burns at any mention of "illegal immigration" and yearns to do the dance of the teabag, there were islands of sane, rational remembrances of the man and his accomplishments. Several local businesses, and a couple of neighbors who have full sized flagpoles on their property flew their flags at half mast for Senator Ted. After hearing from his sons at yesterday's Mass - each one sounding so much like his father, and painting a portrait that the amateur artist himself would be proud to claim as as own, and then hearing all those grandchildren pray the intercessions - for the causes which he fought for and believed in, LOST once again felt that there was a place within the Catholic faith for progressive thought and action. God Bless you Teddy. Say hello to Fran, Kareen, Frank, and LOST's dad for us all.

TIME FOR GOOD-BYES

Today we say farewell to Frank. You never went anywhere without that smile
it seemed.
You never said anything bad about anyone
not that I heard.
Never raised your voice in anger
Never got down on people who
were negative

Some thought you moved too slow
Or didn't emphasize their issue
or that you should have been
more like
someone else.

But you handled it
took it all in stride
past the negativity
always
Always in the direction
of the best
for the kids

That should be your parting shot
your challenge to all who
come along behind you

what are you doing
what will you do
how did you benefit
the kids?

Today begins a journey
that started awhile ago
the road to independence
and a path to chase after dreams

More cheerfulness, and a booming voice
unafraid of failure
to be set free into the world
to chase after dreams

You've been a giant
all your life
even though, and only for a time
you were quiet and reserved
not spoiling for a fight
or conquest.

And though you're often cluttered
and disheveled
you're unfazed by such shallow measures
not bowed before the cynics
and eager to face the challenges
that lay in the days and miles ahead

We've tried to keep you grounded
focused - there's a fight
we've strived to set some boundaries
help you sort between wrong and right

Mostly we've worked to make you honest
to show compassion and care
and now we have to let you go
for its you we have to share

And now the days arrived
where unshackled by shame
not hidden by pretext
you are set upon the roadway
to chase after dreams.

THE FOUR WORDS

With all courtesies extended to the late George Carlin - he of the seven words (really now, only six, because "piss" has wormed it's way in to the lexicon-airwaves) you can't say on television, there are four words that nobody wants to hear - and certainly not in person.

"We found a spot."

It doesn't matter when they're uttered. There's no good time for those words. Not the sixteenth birthday of your youngest child, not within days of your oldest child's departure for the adventure of a young lifetime that is the collegiate experience, certainly not when you feel like you are nearing the peak of physical fitness, except for a little tightness and pressure on inhaling.

Not when the surrounding world is in turmoil either. Who is ill this week? Who else is out of work? Who has passed away suddenly? Who lost their home?

The temptation is to take a seat and bury the head and try desperately, selfishly and in vain, to wish it all away. But wishing is the stuff of talking crickets, and fairy godmothers and all things Disney, isn't it?

So the best thing that can be done, really, is to press onward and forward, stick with the routine. Especially when the ominous is not the only alternative - even if you've never heard of "San Joaquin Valley Fever" before, though the doctor seems to know all about it. Even if you can't imagine life any other way than you've known it for nearly three decades. Onward and forward. Faith and trust. Optimism and hope. Even if the only difference is that the latter choice means keeping one's head up.

Okay, break's over, back to work.

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY . . .

Fran passed away in the company of his entire family, seven days after LOST's post about him. The memorial service was a simple expression of great love and admiration for a quiet genius in the art of parenting. A week later, LOST was at another such service, this time for a mom of another great brood, but also a woman who dedicated her life to looking after others - be that as a nurse, a volunteer in bereavement ministry, a classroom docent, a parish library worker, a quiet supporter of progressive causes, and a mom of six greatly accomplished children who enjoy each other's company. An impressive list of meaningful accomplishments over nearly nine decades of life, strongly evidenced by the size of the crowd in attendance at LOST's childhood venue.

And now this one. Fifty five, less than five weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. A quiet, jovial, but dogged man, a dedicated educator, and a father to three young adult sons. A lover of the surf and an aficianado of the open road, who wanted nothing from his children beyond the special gift of time well spent together. Gone in a flash, and a gaping hole left behind. Another funeral. Another venue full of dampened vision cracking voices all around, struggling to hit the notes of "Amazing Grace," or sobbing gently to the strains of "Ave Maria." These reminders of mortality are no longer necessary.