The Knotted Scarf: Remembering the Passing of Elizabeth Edwards

Today is the anniversary of Elizabeth Edwards passing. It's been somber for many of us, although I managed to stay busy. Likely Elizabeth would have preferred that I or anyone be productive than dwell on her death.

Still, it is time to pause a little and think about her.

I bet she would have been proud of Cate and Trevor's wedding. Courtesy of one of Cate's guests, Bill Spiegel, here's a link to a picture he snapped of Cate and Trevor cutting their wedding cake. Note: you must be a FB friend of EE's to view it. I was and still am.

The Elizabeth Edwards Foundation (EEF) website is seeing some legs.

Speaking of the EEF, CEO Cate Edwards put out a call on Elizabeth's Facebook wall for folks to share quotes or other thoughts. Iddybud posted a lovely poem by WS Merwin entitled "Rain Light". Nancy Anania, Elizabeth's sister, was open with her feelings when she posted, "My beautiful sister, you know how much I miss you." Yours truly posted a pic of Elizabeth and the two younger ones when Elizabeth was voted Role Mother of the Year by Glamour.

In another part of FB, Dem Debbi, a former JREG blogger, posted the pic of Elizabeth when she learned her cancer had returned and many of the DU'ers contributed money for dozens of pink roses (still my favorite pic, I remember posting it at the DU when the campaign sent it to me) in support of her continuing on in the 2008 campaign.

BW Readers, I also bring your attention to One America Rising, which wove a photo blog tribute to Elizabeth.

I will conclude with a couple of thoughts which may to tie these bloggers to the anniversary of her passing. One of them is by Cate Edwards, who penned an article that was published in Self magazine this afternoon:

There are things quintessentially Elizabeth that will always remind me of her. Some of them are grating (a constant flow of grammatical corrections). Some of them gracious (the constant claim that friends and family--not herself--are to thank for her own strength). Some of them are ill-advised (putting together meals comprised only of 100-calorie snacks). Some of them are good advice (to put together the biggest dream you can for yourself, then go one bigger). Some of them are passing (her idea to buy a bush hog and cut her own path in our backyard). Some of them are lasting (her idea to be herself, regardless, and forge her own path in life). But every Momism that I took for granted during her life has served as a welcome reminder of her every single day during the last year. Some days they make me smile or laugh out loud. Some days they are more burdened with the sadness of losing her. And while I hope that the former overtake the latter as the years roll on, I am glad to know that a year will never pass-- or even a day--when my mom is not with me.

The other is by Elizabeth herself, from Saving Graces. The context is a scarf she received from Christine Lavin (one of my favorite folk singers)in the mail:

Christine had taken it on her tour and had asked the women in the audience to make a little knot tie or knit a little. ...That scarf was everything I believed in. It was a gesture--not a difficult gesture--but a thoughtful one. ...It was pulling people in because you do believe in the grace a community gives each of us. ...This scarf is Christine's gift at the same time that it is the gift of all of those women whose names I will never know. And it is, also at the same time, something I can literally can wrap myself and something I can figuratively myself,, this huge community of people, spread out among the towns she toured--people who were pulling for me and who believed in the strength of that tiny knot they tied." (pages 333-4).

Indeed we were all part of her fabric. And she of ours.

To Cate Edwards and Trevor Upham

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/10288821/

Cate and Trevor got it together.

To them, I hope they have a great honeymoon. Hope it was a great party after the wedding. I do seems easy. To Mr. Benny, I said "Absolutely" rather than "yes." I stand by it.

I know you are private folks, but Edwardians on this blog follow what you will do in light in your late mom's story.

We all are in support of a great lifetime together.

Here's song by Desiree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvRBFFCBmcY&NR=1

We Knew

I am using an expression that Elizabeth Edwards would say today but slightly altered: we knew. Her comment was about Wade, you know.

Yesterday, I received e-mails about a WaPO article regarding what John Edwards could teach our POTUS. I am a bit incensed that Chris Cillzza got the memo 4 years later, but it's easy for a progressive political journalist to look back, rather than taking a position at the time. I've visited and told many liberal bloggers that they looked at who could raise money over what was bold and right for all of us. They have conceded privately that JRE was right. But I hear this "but if" meaning JRE's personal trials were revealed in the media. Chickens because of what happened in the 80's by a popular Colorado guy.

Elizabeth knew something of John's problems at the time, but she was willing to go on the campaign. She has been criticized for knowing them. How could any one be nasty towards a person who would later have her illness re-occur? Peeps like Taylor Marsh, who still touts Hillary Clinton as the possible nominee because she was the first viable woman Dem nominee in an election year that was open to anyone?

This blog is about Elizabeth Edwards and JRE's ideas. I am not ashamed to say that we knew what was right for all of us. And I am a Liberal but independent like Bernie Sanders.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/what-john-edwards-can-teach-barack-obama/2011/10/17/gIQA85p8rL_blog.html

Thanks Chris for acknowledging JRE, but you are 4 years too late. We knew all along. So your next job is to help Elizabeth Warren, as her ideas are many like JRE's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvumTKOSYaI -End the Game (thanks Montana Maven for this reminder)

Team Edwards at the 3-day Race for the Cure

Cate Edwards and a group of friends (some that we know from the campaign, are doing the race as I type this note. One of my blogging buds was tipped off via former campaign worker yesterday.

I sent a little change to support Nancy Anania, Elizabeth's sister, on Team Edwards.

This morning, Cate was interviewed by Andrea Mitchell:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44643196#44643196

Seems appropriate Andrea is a breast cancer survivor.


Go Team Edwards!

Update on Elizabeth Warren

Chris Bowers from Daily Kos sent a mass mailing to tell everyone that Elizabeth Warren did announce (link via TPM) she would run for the Senate seat held by Scott Brown in Massachusetts.

This should be an exciting race.

According to TPM:

"Brown was elected to the Senate in a special election in January 2010, following the death of long-time Sen. Ted Kennedy, in a stunning upset against Democratic state Attorney General Martha Coakley. A recent survey showed Brown leading the lesser-known Warren by 44%-35%, but with the incumbent below the crucial 50% mark in a state that is expected to vote Democratic by a wide margin in the presidential race."

Good luck Elizabeth!

Elizabeth Warren Considering a Run in MA for US Senate

At the Daily Kos and TPM, it was reported that Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law Professor who helped set up the Consumer Credit oversight group, has set up an exploratory committee for a senate run in her home state. Already she has met with some local activists in Arlington (all of this has been reported at Blue Mass Group) and liberals in the state have raised $100K.

Warren should have been confirmed to provide leadership for that new agency, but she was rejected by all of the sexist Republican male senators. As usual, Obama didn't have the stomach for any confrontation will to back her as a top candidate, so she packed her bags and went home.

She penned an eloquent post at Blue Mass Group, a site I used to follow when JRE was in the race. Her narrative was about her family background, coming from a working poor family but emerged out of it because of education. Her law work led her to working for struggling families.

I think she is wise to explore first as her committee can conduct polls, and while she is not allowed to talk as a candidate, she can raise certain sums of money within FEC rules.

I have a feeling she will be at Netroots Nation in Providence next year. I really want to go to that conference, but I think work is going to preclude me on that one.

Run Elizabeth run! She's very much like our late Elizabeth Edwards.

Hey Party Girl

I am beginning to wonder if the Gold Dust Woman in JRE's life is a sociopath for media attention.

Through her sister, she claims she wants to work if Hollywood gave her a decent offer:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2006928/I-wouldnt-trust-John-Edwards-far-I-throw-says-sister-mistress.html

Why a mother would want to embarrass her former lover over and over when he is providing every expense for her and the child? She's just a party girl and doesn't have a sense of maturity to buck up to handle her situation. Her sister is also to blame for blasting out against JRE.

JRE, you really goofed in being so intimate with this woman and allowing the affair to go too far. But most of all, I feel badly for Emma Claire and Jack--as well as the step sister involved. I think JRE knows now this woman was just a party girl and he treated her as such. But he owned up with his wallet.

She doesn't like being known as a party girl, but that is just what she is.