Not sure why the Edwards story hits me like this . . .
Probably because I'm also a lawyer heavy into policy and politics, believing that it is a calling and a duty to make the world a better place. And I recognize that for all noble reasons and good intentions, it is always possible to get caught up in the idea that we can not merely make the world a better (or worse) place, but that we can actually control it and shape it to our ends. I also happen to be a huge supporter of John and Elizabeth Edwards. And I think their story as people is compelling: overcoming the loss of a child, dedicating themselves outside of campaigning to antipoverty work, when they could have simply lived the life of wealth or gone on being succesful lawyers.
For whatever reason, my reaction to the Edwards story today was:
If you are lucky enough in your life to have a partner, someone special who provides you with a center when you need it, advice when you don't want to hear it but must, strength when you are weak, inspiration when you despair, and with whom you share the entire panoply of human emotions from happines to aggravation to frustration to anger to passion to joy, for whom your own happiness is integral to their happiness and vice versa, and to whom you can confide those things that you would not dare tell another soul. If you are blessed with such a one, please take a moment today to tell him or her and hold that person close for a moment. He or she may not be there tomorrow.
