Farewell, my old friend: My memories of Paul Simon.

[Padraig18]

It was a standing-room-only crowd at St. Stephen's annual Messenger dinner that warm Sunday evening last June in Chicago, and my family were in attendance.

The evening's after-dinner speaker was the septuagenarian son of a Lutheran minister. Wearing a starched white shirt and his trademark bowtie, former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon delivered a message that centered on the Book of Micah.

"Many nations shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem,'" Simon intoned.

"He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks," he continued. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore."

It is fitting, Simon told us, that Micah closed his prophecy to Samaria and Jerusalem with a prayer for national restoration and a beautiful expression of trust in God's pardoning mercy.

Such a prayer and unshakeable trust were emblematic of the life of the late Paul Simon, who never stopped believing in the essential goodness of people and the greatness of this nation.

And, throughout his exemplary life as both a legislator and private citizen, he never stopped challenging Americans to fulfill that greatness.

Paul Simon crusaded for free trade, against the expansion of gambling, and for the civil rights of minorities here and abroad. He championed a free press, but was horrified by the level of violence in broadcasting. He worked diligently in the cause of literacy, and supported a constitutional amendment requiring the federal budget to be balanced.

Paul Simon opposed the death penalty with principle and passion and chaired former Gov. George Ryan's commission on the ultimate sanction. He fought tirelessly for the rights of working men and women everywhere, and for improved Medicare and Social Security benefits for older Americans.

In a 1993 speech at Brown University, Simon gently chided America's lawmakers.

"We are trying to please public opinion when formulating our public policy," Simon said, "but we can't effectively lead if we are going to use polls to see where we are going. Leadership means sometimes doing things that are unpopular."

Citizenship, Simon believed, carries both rights and responsibilities.

"Almost one-fourth of our children are living in poverty," Simon told graduating seniors at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1997. "No other Western industrialized nation has anything close to that figure.

"This is not an act of God," he said, adding, "We need to reach out across the barriers of race, and religion, and ethnic background, and sexual orientation, and every other barrier that separates Americans to reach out and make sure opportunity is here for everyone."

Whether or not people agreed with his unabashedly liberal views, they always knew where Paul Simon stood. He respected that, and encouraged all of us to think about the world, and our place in it.

"You don't have to agree with Paul Simon on anything," he told us that night last summer. "You want your own canoes. You want to go wherever you want to go."

It has been nearly four years since Pauls's first wife and love of his life, Jeanne, succumbed to cancer. The two met early in his career while both were serving in the Illinois House. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin was among the many public figures on hand who spoke of her life at her funeral in Carbondale.

At the close of his remarks, Sen. Durbin put his hand on Jeanne's casket and said, "Jeanne, all the precincts are in. All the votes have been counted. It's another Simon victory. You've won in a landslide."

I woud like to echo those thoughts today: The race is over, Paul, and we are a better nation because you ran in it. You've won in a landslide, my friend. Godspeed, and thank you for the blessing you were in my young life.


Note: Funeral services for Sen. Simon will be Sunday afternoon at the Arena at SIU-Carbondale. Visitation will be at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carbondale on Saturday from 2-6 p.m., and both are open to the public.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

1. I'm so sorry you lost your friend.

:hug:
Duckie

[Padraig18]

2. Thank you.

:hug:

[never cry wolf]

3. Condolences to you

But feel blessed that you were able to know such a great man.

[Padraig18]

4. Thank you, steviet!

I am very grateful. :)