so for someone like John to ask you while he's still alive to stand and speak of him when he's gone is a precious and singular honor now when John called me with that request earlier this year I'll admit sadness and also a certain surprise but after our conversation ended I realized how well it captured some of John's essential qualities to start with John liked being unpredictable even Lowell contrary he had no interest in conforming to some prepackaged version of what a senator should be and he didn't want a memorial that was going to be prepackaged
either it also showed John's disdain for self-pity he had been to hell and back and yet somehow never lost his energy or his optimism or his zest for life so cancer did not scare him and he would maintain that buoyant spirit to the very end too stubborn to sit still opinionated as ever fiercely devoted to his friends and most of all to his family it showed his irreverence his sense of humor a little bit of a mischievous streak after all what better way to get a last laugh than to make George and I say nice
things about him to a national audience and most of all it showed a large nosov spirit an ability to see past differences in search of common ground
