ELIZABETH EDWARDS, "RESILIENCE"

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"Resilience," is a great read...and I can't help but wonder what the TV commentators and reviewers read. This book, written by Elizabeth Edwards, was not a tell all, let's get back at the man who betrayed me kind of book...It is deeply honest, intimately revealing and instantly inspiring in ways I had not expected.

I felt her pain-mostly-from the sudden death of her beloved son...who died in a car accident. A mother's Love runs deep...and neither time nor distance seems to seal the heartache of loss. Her pain, permeated the pages and put into perspective how deeply and completely she Loves.

Struggling with cancer and then the cancer of infidelity...is almost too overwhelming to even think about...But Elizabeth writes about it with such clarity of purpose and a conscious wisdom of wanting to walk this perilous path with an arsenal of honesty and integrity and God inspired wisdom.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people-especially women-conclude that the reason this bright woman stayed with her unfaithful husband and his "indiscretion" is because of her "cancer." I don't believe it for a minute-after reading this book. Not even cancer-the threat of dying-could lead her to such a superficial decision. She stayed-apparently one day at a time-for many reasons...Her reasons...because in Love and in life...stuff happens...and good people-resilient people, trade the rash choices...for the tough choices-and for the right reasons.

I was thinking about the book Saturday, as I sat waiting for 4pm Mass to begin. Ironically, another politician-with his own indiscretion-walked down the aisle into the pew with his wife and children. I smiled. His wife, like Elizabeth Edwards, is also a lawyer...and just as resilient. She could have bolted...and who would have blamed her...But-again- she did what good people do...she stayed-and together-husband and wife are making it work---their way...not the way of the world...but one day at a time.

Resiliency is something we have to dig deep within ourselves to find...It is there...amid the fear and the failures, the pain and the betrayal...Everyone has it...But we have to want it..and be willing to work hard at developing it.

Our dreams are often broken, by the ones we Love the most. The shattered remains often ruins our resolve to build new dreams...But dream anyway...and dream big...and often and define your own dreams-rather than letting the old ones define you...and destroy you-and everything you've worked so hard to build.

That's what I learned from Elizabeth Edwards...to do our very best...and when adversity smacks us into submission-to rise to the challenge...and keep rising...standing tall...and adjusting our sails to face each storm with courage, grace and the dignity that comes from the God inspired gift-of resiliency!

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