In spite of my Irish lineage I have never been a big Kennedy fan.
It always killed me when I was a kid overhearing someone describe
how the Kennedy’s were “working class.” In reality, they were NEVER working class.<\/p>\n
About ten years ago when I was still living in San Francisco, I ventured into
a bookstore on my to buy myself a book for my birthday. I had my sights set on a book about Irish Political Prisoner Bobby Sands and as I stood in line to buy it my eyes continued to gravitate towards a just published book by Maria Shriver entitled: Ten Things I wish I’d Known Before I went Out Into The Real World.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t understand why I had any interest in her book in the first place since I considered Maria Shriver as just another “Kennedy brat.” What could she possibly have to offer?<\/p>\n
Buy the time I had reached the cashier to purchase my Bobby Sands book I had decided to purchase Maria Shriver’s as well. It was her book that I read from cover to cover that evening. It was that good. What I discovered to my very pleasant surprise was that Maria Shriver DID have much to offer. <\/p>\n
In her book she describes how when she first got into Broadcasting an employer berated her in front of her colleagues and accused her of pulling some “Kennedy strings” to get her the position and told her basically, that she wasn’t worthy of working for him. OUCH! <\/p>\n
Another time a well known journalist (she doesn’t name the person) had just gotten out of rehab and got “stuck” with having Ms.Shriver under her wing. She was not at all pleased with such a demotion and wasn’t shy about telling Maria about how little she thought of her. Eventually they become friends and she did teach Maria on how to write copy and to be a better Broadcast Journalist.<\/p>\n
Anyway, I was so inspired by the book that I actually wrote her a letter. Imagine my surprise when I received a nice thoughtful letter from her several months later. She apologized for taking so long to write me back and wrote that she had been visiting her mother Eunice Kennedy who was ill at the time. <\/p>\n
This morning Eunice Kennedy passed away and although I am sad for Ms.Shriver’s loss, she can look back on her mothers life and be proud that she gave Ms.Shriver a good solid upbringing, one in which her mother taught her that integrity, charity work and good work ethic were important and meaningful.<\/p>\n
I am referring to her Eunice Kennedy’s founding of The Special Olympics with her husband Sargent Shriver. Helping the disabled was something that was near and dear to her heart since she had a sister who was disabled and spent much of her life institutionalized.<\/p>\n
The one thing I really admired about Eunice Kennedy is that she CHOSE to contribute and she came from family, time and place where no one would have begrudged her if she didn’t. I have no doubt that St. Peter has called her name and that there is a special place for Eunice Kennedy in the world beyond. <\/p>\n
It’s been said that Jews are Gods chosen people. Perhaps this is so, but I think the Irish are Gods favorite. Eunice, May the Road Rise to Meet You. You have made the world a better place for you having been here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In spite of my Irish lineage I have never been a big Kennedy fan.It always killed me when I was a kid overhearing someone describehow the Kennedy’s were “working class.” In reality, they were NEVER working class.About ten years ago…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\n