Is redemption possible?

On Monday afternoon, I read several articles about Senator Ted Kennedy in the September 7 issue of Time, the one with him on the cover. A fascinating read.

Some love him, some hate him, and I suspect that many, like me, have had serious concerns about issues in his past. Reading these articles, and reading about how many positive things he did in his many years of Senate service, made me wonder if perhaps there is more to be considered. Things are rarely black and white, and the same holds true here.

To begin with, the mere circumstances of his early life had to be almost overwhelming. Three older brothers who were shining lights in the family, cut down in the prime of their lives by incredible violence and unspeakable hatred, leaving the younger brother, Ted, to hold the reins of the family and be its patriarch at an absurdly young age. That's a lot of pressure, and he obviously didn't handle it well. He made many mistakes in his life, including his involvement in the death of a young woman at Chappaquiddick, his heavy drinking, and his womanizing.

But from everything I've read, he turned his life around when he married his wife Victoria in the early 90's. Whatever mistakes he'd made in the past, he seemed determined to atone for them by being a mentor to new members of the Senate (like some young kid from Illinois) and the patriarch of the Kennedy family. He was obviously well-loved by his family, his wife, and by his colleagues in Washington. Even those who often opposed him politically spoke fondly of their personal relationships with him.

Whether you loved him or hated him, or fell somewhere in-between, there is no denying that he had a very profound impact on our nation and its policies. The Civil Rights Act; the Ryan White Act helping those with HIV and insufficient health care coverage; the Family and Medical Leave Act; the No Child Left Behind Act; sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa; the Americans with Disabilities Act; and a constant and unflagging support of the disenfranchised and forgotten.

If you have issues with any of those legacies, that's your choice. I suggest that you remember that he was also a beloved husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. He was many things to many people, including some on an intensely personal level. I have to wonder about those who have suggested that he was dispatched immediately to hell. I'm not sure when it was anyone's place to decide the ultimate destination of the departed, or to be judge and jury. I know that's above my pay grade.

Senator Kennedy was a flawed person with many personal issues, as are many of us.

He was also a devoted family man who spent many years serving his country and trying to help people. Did he achieve redemption? That is not for me--or for anyone--to decide. Those who would have him spend eternity in the fiery torment of hell, or who would dance an Irish jig on his grave, would do well to remember that.