Dear God, how dare we criticize the manner in which a family chooses to grieve? I'm from Manchester, NH. I'm nobody. I'm a citizen. But, thanks to the privileged position my state holds in American politics, I got to spend a part of yesterday talking to Mrs. Edwards at one of her husband's rallies. She is a sharp, strong woman, with great talent (read her memoir - it's writing, not just politico-crap)and much passion.

Has anyone considered that she might want to be where she is today, investing this penultimate chapter of her life with the meaning that comes from working with the man she loves to speak a tough truth to Americans? Can it be that she shares a sense with her husband that we are in a critical time and that this message needs to shouted from rooftops and on Face the Nation until it gets heard?

You don't get that many opportunities to be heard in this country anymore, with its ten second attention span and the latest exploits of Lindsay Lohan just one channel away. Maybe she/they have decided not to lose that chance to their tragedy. And that the desire to be heard, to maybe make a difference in the future of this country is meaningful and important. A hugely valid choice about what to do when your life becomes numbered in months, not seemingly infinite years.

John Edwards is unlikely to become President, or even the nominee of his own party. But long after this campaign is over, and Mrs. Edwards has moved back into private life to work out her ending away from the glare of TV lights and screen-glued judgmental eyeballs, she will have had the chance to talk, to be heard, to matter on issues that are clearly close to her heart. And not merely through her husband's lips.

That's fine. That's a choice. Maybe even a virtue. Certainly, under these circumstances, it's courage.

Like Dylan Thomas said:

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

She is a brave, good woman, who is trying hard to make sure that her life makes a difference in the lives of others. Maybe she'strying to leave a legacy of bravery and activism for her children. I suggest that we have no right to criticize this woman for how she arranges and conducts her battle with the dark.

You go, girl!

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