When John Edwards was running for president the first time, a friend of mine was included in a small dinner group with Elizabeth Edwards. I remember that she was so impressed and told me that Elizabeth should be the candidate because she was so smart, witty, and articulate. Her legal background was strong and she was a very good speaker. My friend said that she made you feel as though you were the only person in the room.
While people may not agree, Elizabeth had the gift of time. Yes, her time was cut short, but she knew that her time was limited. So she had some time to prepare to say good-bye. She had the time to put her thoughts into books that help create her legacy. In fact, her friends commented on talk shows that Elizabeth did not want to be remembered for having lost her war with cancer. She wanted people to remember that she fight the good fight and that she lived a good life.
On the day Elizabeth died, Matt Lauer replayed the last interview he conducted with her where he asked her about the lessons she had taught her children and what she wanted them to remember about her:
I think Elizabeth's words are good to remember: "She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way–and it surely has not–she adjusted her sails."
As she said, "it is easy to get through the good days. When bad things happen, you have to have the strength to face them."
When have you had to adjust your sails? When should you have adjusted your sails?
I know this is advice I want to remember.
Hi Jan – thought I would pass along a blog post of my daughter’s, “The Story of a Life – in Books” that I thought went hand in hand with what you were trying to convey in this blog post. Check it out…
http://stumblingtongues.wordpress.com/2010/12/31/the-story-of-a-life-in-books/
Thanks LuAnn. I will read it for sure. I appreciate you reading and for being a resource. Thanks
I have read one of Elizabeth’s books and find her to be an inspirational person. She has been through a lot of difficult things and still prevailed. She seems like a great role model for people in the public eye. I really enjoyed her appearence on the Oprah show. She is someone that people can learn from. I believe she has left a great legacy behind her and will be remembered for perservering.
Elizabeth seems to be an individual who never gives up and keeps fighting until they cannot fight anymore. She is a very inspirational individual.
Elizabeth Edwards seems to be a fighter. She was put through a lot through the last few years of her life and she made it through a lot. Unfortunatley she wasn’t able to defeat this last test but she has left a lasting image as someone who did not let a few difficult moments ruin her legacy.