The week before last, I was glued to the television as the funeral service for Sen. Edward Kennedy was broadcast. I was fascinated by the pageantry and ceremony, but most of all by the family. The Kennedy family dynasty could be the last of its kind.
I was too young to know much about President Kennedy. I remember I had the measles and was home from school the day he was shot in Dallas. I grew up very near Dallas and I remember seeing over and over the footage of the speeding car in the motorcade and Jackie Kennedy reaching back for the secret service agent. I really don't remember much about Bobby. But, I can remember his widow in her black veil at the funeral.
When Ted Kennedy announced he would run for president, I became a supporter. I was very young and it would be the first time I voted for a president. I was a social work student and believed that Democrats were always the champion of those in need. Programs to help those in need also meant jobs for social workers.
I remember telling my ultra conservative in-laws that I would vote for Ted Kennedy and they were appalled. I don't really know what their political affiliation was, but it was apparent that it was whatever party not supporting a Kennedy.
I don't really think my in-laws were opposed to social programs funded by taxpayers. It was that one thing they could not get past: Chappaquiddick. I heard it over and over during the reports on Sen. Kennedy's life. It was like a dark cloud over his life. Ted Kennedy's behavior that night in 1969 when he drove off a bridge and left Mary Jo Kopeche to drown was inexcusable. Most people, who were not Kennedy's, would be arrested and more than likely found guilty. But, it would seem because he was a Kennedy, that he was spared that fate.
I don't know why Ted Kennedy did what he did. I hope for his sake he confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness from God and from her family. I hope for the sake of her family they were able to forgive and not allow the horror and injustice of what happened to Mary Jo consume the remainder of their lives with bitterness and anger.
I seems that Sen. Kennedy felt he had to atone and give back through public service. He worked hard for those who had no voice. His record as a Senator is impressive. His life was about redemption.
I believe from the moving tributes that his children offered at the funeral, that he was a good father. It is often those last words spoken about us, that indicate whether we have been faithful or not. I would no longer call myself a Kennedy supporter. My political views have changed. I am no longer a member of the ultra conservative family I mentioned above.
However, I am thankful for the forgiveness and redemption of a loving God. I am thankful that being able to forgive someone who has committed a terrible wrong against us, frees us from being held captive by that hurt.
I am inspired to be a better parent and better person and hope that at the end of my life I will be found faithful. I am thankful for redemption and for second chances.
