This week we said goodbye to a hero. You don’t have to agree with everything that he stood for politically. You do have to honor his service. The service that came with honor and the constant reminder that country comes first.
The lessons and legacy he lives behind are clear.
#1 Country Matters and Life Needs to be Respected and Cared for.
“In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted. It wasn’t until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her. ”-John McCain
Senator John McCain put country first and often wanted to make clear that American life mattered.
He was genuinely interested in the bettering of his country. He served in uniform. He served in Congress and he serve in Senate. Those are not just jobs with titles. If you look at his voting record you can clearly see that he voted on issues that would make the lives of American Citizens better. He remembered the struggle of those who many of his party including it’s leader forgot. For example, in Bill HR 2266 he agreed that the bill Appropriated $1.3 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to remain available through September 30, 2019 for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for disaster nutrition assistance. He also co authored a Bill S140 that gave water rights White Mountain Apache Tribe.
It is clear that life mattered.
#2 True Friends Celebrate You
“What made Sen. McCain so special was that he cared about the substance of my heart” more than all their differences, he said.- Arizona Cardinals’ wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
In attendance were Mr. McCain’s friends. You saw that he had friends across every faith, color, and gender. You saw that he genuinely fostered relationships. People who came from the Trump administration were friends to him before they entered into this administration. They celebrated all your faults and all your strengths. Friendship can even come when you are on opposing political sides because you are valued. President Obama revealing that he and Mr. McCain sat down every week to talk was an eye opener for me. Vice President Biden’s admission, that the two sitting on the floor together was scoffed at. Both valued their friendship and their commitment to the role that they were in on the governing floor. It was refreshing to hear those words.
#3 Make Your Life Matter
John McCain did the best he could with the life he was given with every opportunity. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a prisoner of war. I could not imagine what it would be like to say that you need to be released in the order that you were captured. John would not let anyone do anything in his camp do anything that he found morally repugnant. He would not let anyone savage someone personally in his presence. It matters that he wanted to have common decency rule.
He respected the role he played and made the best of everything presented to him. He sought to bring awareness to the right and just thing to do.
These are the words that John wrote faithfully that we must take to heart.
He said:
“So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.”
― John McCain, Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every
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