One Question We Must Consider Today Is

We Need The Breast And The Brightest To- Umm The Best And The Brightest.

Our Commitment To This Founding Principle Is Especially Relevant Today. Americans Are United As Rarely Before In Compassion And Generosity For Our Fellow Citizens Whose Lives Have Been Devastated By Hurricane Katrina. The Powerful Winds And Floodwater Of Katrina Tore Away The Mask That Has Hidden From Public View The Many Americans Who Are Left Out And Left Behind.

For Me, A Few Hours Ago, This Campaign Came To An End. For All Those Whose Cares Have Been Our Concern, The Work Goes On, The Cause Endures, The Hope Still Lives And The Dream Shall Never Die.

My Dad Said: Now Teddy, You Have To Make Up Your Mind Whether You Want To Have A Constructive And Positive Attitude And Influence On Your Time. And If You're Not Interested In A Purposeful, Useful, Constructive Life, I Just Want You To Know I Have Other Children That Are Out There That Intend To Have A Purposeful And Constructive Life. And So You Have To Make Up Your Mind About Which Direction You're Going To Go. I Remember Getting - Climbing Into Bed And Staring At The Ceiling For A Good Time, But The Night Hadn't Been Over When It Was Very Clear To Me What Kind Of Life I Wanted To Lead.

My Father Lifted Me Up In His Strong Gentle Arms And Said Something I Will Never Forget. He Said, "i Know You Can Do It. There Is Nothing That You Can't Do. We're Going To Climb That Hill Together Even If It Takes Us All Day." And At Age 12 Losing Your Leg Pretty Much Seems Like The End Of The World. But As I Climbed Onto His Back And We Flew Down The Hill That Day, I Knew He Was Right. I Knew I Was Going To Be Ok. You See, My Father Taught Me That Even Our Most Profound Losses Are Survivable. And It Is What We Do With That Loss - Our Ability To Transform It Into A Positive Event.