Posted on by Cathy Edgett

Gratitude

This is a celebratory week. I focus gratefully on what Thanksgiving means to me. It’s a time of reflection, a time to gather and share, a time for family and friends. It’s also a time to celebrate and honor courage, and so today I focus on Senator Mark Kelly and his sense of duty and commitment.

Senator Kelly issued the following statement in response to Pete Hegseth’s tweet:

When I was 22 years old, I commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and swore an oath to the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school, four space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired – which I did after my wife Gabby was shot in the head while serving her constituents.

In combat, I had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia. I did all of this in service to this country that I love and has given me so much.

Secretary Hegseth’s tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death.

“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

Standing in the Waves
The crescent moon last night moving toward Full!

Posted on by Cathy Edgett

President Biden

I just read that President Biden has decided to end his reelection campaign.  Clearly, it’s the right decision, and yet tears come.  Watching this battle as we did with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Dianne Feinstein is tough, especially observing it all as an elder.

If we elders are paying attention, we know our minds don’t function as well as they once did.  We comfort ourselves that we’ve gained wisdom.  Hopefully, we’re less judgemental, less quick to jump to conclusions, though a temper can still stop us in our tracks.

Anyway, I’m grateful for the decision.  Because we’re living longer, and productively so, we still need to look at the truth that people do age. We age at different rates, and there’s always potential ahead for each of us, but maybe in the political system, as is in business, we can phase out those, especially on the Supreme Court, who’ve been invincible, and honor upper as well as younger age requirements for office.

Clearly this is a painful decision for our president, and he is a kind and wise man, and it’s the right thing to do, for his legacy and the country.

And now, let’s see what comes as whoever runs is running against a man who is also too old to be president.  

Reflecting
And the young step in
A time to bend

Honoring the path as it curves