I never met Senator Kennedy but was amazed at the number of people to see him off in Washington, DC yesterday. We drove to DC to witness that and there were thousands of people from both parties waiting for hours in the heat after his plane was delayed by weather. People sang and laughed and cried and prayed. I did not hear or see one heckler or dissenter. It was a rare moment of decency and respect. We went to show appreciation for a life led to help others.

While taking a break and watching part of the funeral for Senator Kennedy, I heard his son use two words to speak of his father: Redemption and Transformation.

Senator Kennedy led a life most of us cannot imagine. Every joy and tragedy played on the television screen and spread across tabloid papers. But as his son said, his father had come to a point of redemption in his life, and through faith and strength he found n his family including his second wife, he was able to be transformed in his life. These are the lessons he learned through his faith and life. I lived on Cape Cod for many years and was amazed at how beloved he was. And it did not seem to be a result of money or patronage, it was a result of his genuine care for others; those he knew and those he would never meet. Over and over again I would overhear young people and elderly speak of his work and how he had called someone in a time of grief or joy. He did not have to – but he did. And it apparently made a huge difference to a lot of people. We heard these stories this week and will in the future. I find it odd that some complain that his death may be used to further the cause of Health Care Reform- as if that was not part of 3 decades of his life’s work. If he did not personally sanction that association, he would surely applaud it.