a force worth remembering.

she was elizabeth anania until her firstborn,
16yo wade,
died in a car accident.

to honor her son, she took his last name:
edwards.

elizabeth edwards was . . .

. . . born with the first name mary
[but ever preferred her middle name].

. . . the daughter of a navy pilot.

. . . an english & law school graduate of the
university of north carolina at chapel hill.

. . . a lucrative bankruptcy/public-service law
attorney until her son's tragic death.

. . . a stay-at-home mom to her daughter Cate, &
later, to a younger son & daughter.

. . . chief policy adviser for her husband, senator
& democratic vice-presidential candidate john edwards.

. . . the self-described "anti-barbie," for both
her real-woman figure & real-woman intellect.

. . . "the most refreshing political spouse since eleanor roosevelt," according to o magazine.

. . . a steadfast spouse, standing by her man through
multiple layers of highly public lies about his infidelity.

. . . a proponent of same-sex marriage.

. . . an opponent of the iraq war.

. . . a fearless ann coulter aggressor.

. . . a healthcare advocate.

. . . a six-year cancer survivor.

. . . the heart of her family, according to them.

she died december 7th at the age of 61,
encircled by her dear friends & family,
including her estranged husband.

she left an amazing legacy
for her children & our country.

smart, savvy, brave, inspirational, resilient,
full of faith & the definition of grace.

rest in peace, elizabeth,
in the open arms of your beloved son.

"the days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered.
we know that.
and yes, there are certainly times when
we aren't able to muster as much
strength & patience as we would like.
it's called being human.
but i have found that in the
simple act of living with hope, & in the
daily effort to have a positive impact in the world,
the days i do have are made
all the more meaningful & precious.
and for that i am grateful."