My Tribute – Senator McCain

“Our shared values define us more than our differences. And acknowledging those shared values can see us through our challenges today if we have the wisdom to trust in them again”.- Senator John McCain

We got news of Senator McCain’s passing while on Coronado Island, San Diego. It was not a surprise, but ironically enough a few hours earlier we drove down McCain Way on the Navy base, prompting a discussion about how much time he might have left.

We watched F-18s fly over North Island, we watched the next class of Navy SEALS swim on the horizon, we watched the flags throughout the island lower to half-mast, and we watched families enjoying the last days of summer.

Like countless others, I recalled my chance meeting with him a few years ago at Arizona’s National Cemetery. I shook his hand, said a few words, and started to walk away with admiration for the example he leads, and his passion for living and loving life. He wasn’t rushed or bothered, and in fact, he stopped me, which I admit which threw me a little off guard. We talked for a minute, and I chuckle to think back that he asked me more questions than I asked him. But what I remember most about our meeting was how he listened to what I said with such intent, like he was taking notes. It was then I knew that he wasn’t that Senator at all. Instead he was a fellow American ...just like me.

fullsizeoutput_38f6 — “We are Americans first, Americans last, and Americans always” – McCain

Regardless of who we are or what we stand for, he made us think, he led from his heart, making him true to himself. True to himself. True to himself.

The children on the beach didn’t know the history of today or the legacy left by a man who fought for them. Today…they LIVED it…just the way he would have wanted.