The Grace of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards

I'm not sure what I am trying to say, but one thing that touches me so much about John Edwards is that his wonderful wife has what will most likely be a terminal case of cancer.

Going through this now, I can attest to the fact that having a loved one with cancer changes your life irrevocably. There's no going back. It rips away all pretention, all desire, all sanctimony. There is no care for money, or ambition or any sort of pretension. Life shrinks. You lose everything that matters to you. You just want to do what might matter.

There's no one braver, IMO, than someone going through the experience of having and trying to hopefully beat cancer. It is a full time job. And after that, there comes the spouse, the brother, sister, son, daughter, father, mother. It changes your life forever. Many of you probably know what I'm trying to say. There's no point in faking ambition. You can only follow your heart at that point. Life becomes too precious to waste it.

There's no way that Edwards can not have been initiated by this intense pain, and that is why I trust him on the issue of Universal Health Care, and domestic policy in general. Unless he is a sociopath, he must be hurting like hell right now. His beautiful wife is in peril. Believe me, he understands suffering. After your life is contaminated by the cancer of a loved one, nothing is ever the same.

My apologies that my post is more emotional than factual.

in a heroic manner and grew togather and stronger for it. As a Nurse I have come to know that how people handle death is a microcasim of how they handle life-and it is very revealing. In 2004-after learning about John and Elizabeth-I have never strayed far from their corner. I trust John to make the right decisions-when given the facts. I trust him to make the hard choices that lay ahead. I believe he will leave this country a better place. I believe that he is our (middle classes) last best hope.

like few others (Bobby Kennedy was the last time I felt so strongly about a candidate). I was too young when John Kennedy ran. He speaks to my democratic soul.

I just feel comfortable with him to do what is right by us Americans who have been taken advantage of for way too long, us that work and make this world we all live in possible. John Edwards will be a great President.

hang nail.





I believe.

O8)

it is how they moved forward after their son's death, and the same courageous (and, IMHO, unselfish) decision they've made to continue the campaign in the face of Elizabeth's illness which has led to my wholehearted support.

I believe they have tremendous character and integrity. Others may not, but I do, and it's how one responds to the most devastating tragedies that says a lot about a person. They can empathize with so many more people who are enduring various tragedies in a way that someone who hasn't suffered as deeply simply can't.

I admired Joe Biden for the same reason.

Thank you for saying what so many Edwards supporters feel and why we are so passionate about them...though, hopefully, respectfully so.

I have a feeling she will beat the odds.

She is an amazing woman, and I admire her (and John) greatly. :)

posts here saying he "should" be home with her and FORGET the race and that he's just thinking about himself.

For those who think this, I will only say... It's THEIR LIFE and if this is what they want to do TOGETHER... then they have MY Vote AND my HEART! :loveya: :hug:

Go, Johnny, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Trying to fathom how it must feel to have one's wife/mother facing that battle!

It must be tough trying to overcome so many different sets of odds at once! And keep one's spirits up as they are in the face of them! I really hope she can beat this where my cat couldn't! They deserve a reward in this fight for the fight they are waging for us! Really hope that they can climb this mountain and represent us in November. I'll be putting money into the pot on Friday!

best and last hope.

...people who actually KNOW what the word (morality) means.

I believe they ARE our last and best hope, if we are to save this country as what it was truely meant to be. I know these folks will fight tooth and nail for what is right for THE PEOPLE of this country - and not just for what is good for the corporations who control far far too much of everything in our government and in our media.

wife were classy.

No seriously.

yes

with the core things that are, after all, what life is really about.
Making them comfortable.
Letting them know how much they're loved.
Giving them whatever hope you can possibly muster.
Spending time in their company, even if it's doing nothing, together.

Hope your Dad is doing well.

myself trying to describe my feelings over the fact that this women has choosen to do something she has power over. And that is to help her beloved Country regain it's moral standing. She and well as all of us well leave behind the most precious gifts bestowed on to us our loved ones. We can never repay the Edwards family for their greatness, and only through my family casting a vote for John is our love and support for them. Take care Mrs. Edwards.

"I expect to live a long time," Mrs. Edwards said. "I expect us to have lots and lots of years together. I do believe that. But if that's not the case, I don't want my legacy to be that I pulled somebody who ought to be president out of the race. It's not fair to me, in a sense."

Saying she hoped to be "heavily involved" in her husband's campaign, she said: "My feeling is, if we gave up what we have committed to as our life's work, wouldn't I be getting ready to die? That's what I'd be doing. This cause is not just John's cause, it's my cause."

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807EFDE1230F936A15750C0A9619C8B63&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

She makes you hopeful and fills you with fight at the same time.

I can absolutely relate to your post and I agree.