OK, just kidding.  But it’s true, in a way.  Before the Democratic National Convention in July, 2004, I saw myself as a true-blue liberal, a “cradle Democrat” — I voted the straight Democratic ticket, I turned up my nose at fundamentalists of all stripes, I supported labor and the underdog, I scoffed at the military, at religion, at career politicians.  Like most people, I’d inherited my beliefs and values from my parents and friends, from books I’d read, from popular culture. 

I was pretty darn ignorant and I liked it that way.

I sat out the 2004 primaries because I was just too heartsick over the debacle of 2000 to risk adding to my despair.  But I knew when the Democratic candidate was chosen, I would work for him.  So when John Kerry became the nominee, I sighed and gritted my teeth and got ready to join the team to get rid of George W. Bush.  I volunteered at the campaign office downtown, donated what money I could, made countless phone calls, sent e-mails and distributed literature. I drove up with friends and canvassed in New Hampshire and as I went door to door and the people of that savvy state asked me hard questions about the candidate, I realized I had to find out a lot more about him if I were going to be an effective campaigner.

I read the Boston Globe biography  and the George Butler photo book first.  Hey, this guy wasn’t “just a politician”, he was a real person, with an amazing history and a really cool family!  I wanted to find out more. (more…)

As far as he’s concerned, John Kerry is neither a hero nor a superhero. He’s a man, with a private life, loving family and friends, and a job. It happens to be a job he’s dead serious about, but that is simply how he has chosen to live his life on this earth, all in a day’s work, nothing heroic about it.

A hero is not something self-ordained, but rather created by the admiration and regard of others and, while we do well to remember that he is also human, we can find inspiration and guidance in his example. John Kerry has earned this admiration throughout a lifetime of principle, sacrifice and service and he is a indeed a hero to many around the world.

A superhero is something else again: invincible, miraculous, Fearless in his pursuit of (more…)

Within the last seven months, my beloved mother suffered a stroke and a followup event which left her with some trouble in finding words.  Her vocabulary is still enormous and her cognition is near perfect, but sometimes she can’t find the exact words she wants exactly when she wants them and the results of her intense effort to communicate are often unintentionally poetic and wonderful.  Although her phrases are not always conventional, I find that they strike nearer the heart of truth than most ”normal” speech.

The other day, I was remarking to her that my father, who is also recently home from a short stay in a nursing home, was being accompanied on his first grocery shopping expedition the same day she was.  She struggled for a diplomatic response to this earth-shattering news and came up with: “I guess it’s the old-fashioned get busy.”  Even though I can’t know exactly what she meant to convey with this expression, it immediately became part of my permanent lexicon.

 And, musing on it, I realized that it can be applied to no one more appropriately than John Kerry. I remember how worried I was about him after Election Day 2004 and how amazed and impressed I was when, (more…)

I am so honored to be part of the “THK Blog Tour” (schedule here), intended to publicize and open up to the blogosphere this year’s Conference on Women’s Health & the Environment, which will take place tomorrow in Teresa Heinz Kerry’s own beloved Pittsburgh, just a little over a month before the 100th anniversary of environmental activism pioneer Rachel Carson’s birth.  Although it is the first time in the conference’s history that it is being held there, Pittsburgh, home to the Heinz Family Philanthropies, has long known at first hand of Mrs. Heinz Kerry’s passion and hard work on the combined issues of the environment and health (particularly of women and children.)

I was very excited to see that tomorrow’s conference on the theme of “New Science, New Solutions” is filled to capacity and I can’t wait to see the speaker videos and podcasts which will be available here as of April 29, 2007.

Thanks to Meredith Efken for organizing the tour, and submitting my questions to THK.  My questions are basic in the extreme because I simply don’t know very much yet about the issues involved and I want to know a lot more.

When I was thinking of what I would like to ask Mrs. Heinz Kerry, I found myself thinking (more…)

It’s been almost five months since this blog’s first post and I want to thank everyone who has stopped by to leave encouraging and thoughtful comments. Every comment has inspired me to continue to share my personal thoughts on this great statesman and his remarkable wife and family.

I’ve had a lot of ideas related to the theme of this blog in the last months; Senator Kerry has continued to earn my admiration and respect with every action and decision he’s taken. I hope to post some of those personal perceptions in the near future.

Since late October of last year, both of my elderly parents have had health crises. Most of my time and energy have been occupied in travel across the country to help them directly and long-distance caregiving when I’m back home. I’ve seen some of the best and the some of the worst of how our society handles the basic issues of care and compassion for those members of our communities who most need assistance. The work of John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry to improve our world and life for all Americans has given me heart and hope when things seemed darkest.

Having dipped my toes into the blogging pool over at http://www.welovejohnkerry.com/ and worked with Democrafty and DreamingofKerry to create a blog that incorporated both our ideals and our sense of fun, I have decided to swim out a little on my own and dedicate this new blog to my own musings and thoughts about John Kerry and what his example means to me.

This blog will not generally be especially timely or politically relevant; my view is much more personal and philosophical.  I hope I will be able to express here some of the insights I have gained from observing Senator Kerry’s work and history.

John Kerry is not some pasteboard, perfect, two-dimensional hero. He is a human being, one who very much fits Eleanor Roosevelt’s definition of “a mature person”, which is given prominent place at the head of the blog.

He often acts heroically, but that is not what makes him my hero. What makes him my hero is the way he lives his life.  In every stage of his life, he has looked at his (more…)