Lost . . . and Found . . . Tim Russert

Lost . . .

Last Friday two unrelated events took place . . . Tim Russert who hosted the Sunday morning program Meet the Press and was the best political analyst on MSNBC died suddenly of a heart attack at work preparing for the Sunday program.

Tim Russert’s funeral and public memorial service was this afternoon. It has been a somewhat strange phenomenon since last Friday seeing the public outpouring of everyone. I have not seen anything like it in a long time and it makes my heart happy to see everyone’s love for such a man. The everyman we could all understand and relate too on so many things . . . family . . . politics . . . fatherhood . . . patriotism. He will be missed on Sunday mornings and the upcoming coverage of the elections in November.

So . . . some may ask the question . . . why all the hullabaloo and continued coverage? It's simple really . . . because he was so loved by so many. To see the likes of Tom Brokaw with breaking voice so eloquently speaking of Tim as well as all of the other political analysts certainly shows me the deep love and respect that they all had for Tim Russert.

It only served to confirm what most of us thought he might be like. Tim was far from a common man in his commonness. He was one of those rare individuals with brains, optimism, priorities in the correct order and grateful for every day of his life. From the many comments he was always there to lend a hand, show concern no matter where you stood on the power chain within his industry or out on the streets. A rare breed indeed and it showed throughout this past weekend. He ended his life as the unlikely superstar of politics just before father’s day, a time dear to his heart.

As for his family during this time, although exhausting, I'm quite sure today was healing for them as well. They made him proud. They celebrated his life and understood that he believed in service and in the spirit of Tim they chose to share this day with the country. Class Acts in humanity all the way.

At the end of the service the music being played was “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole as heard here:

People were milling out of the Kennedy Center and Keith Oberman on MSNBC just reported that they were stopped in their tracks by a beautiful double rainbow . . . I think even a few cynics would stop and wonder if that was God’s way for Tim to say a final goodbye to us . . .

I wish to think so.

Found . . .

The second event was in Alaska . . . from the Anchorage Daily News . . .

The two hikers missing since Friday in Denali National Park were flown to safety around 5 p.m. today.

Erica Nelson, 23, and Abby Flantz, 25, were greeted by family members after a helicopter plucked them out of the wild, National Park Service spokeswoman Kris Fister told the Associated Press.

The two out-of-state seasonal workers left on an overnight camping trip Thursday and didn't return Friday as planned. They were reported missing on Saturday, and ever since searchers have scoured the Savage River region where they disappeared.

Finally, at 9:15 this morning, Nelson got a cell-phone signal and was able to call her mother, who few to Alaska with Nelson's father this week to wait for news about their daughter.

Nelson said the women were at Dry Creek, and searchers reorganized to focus their efforts there, Fister said.

Still, seven or eight hours passed with no sign of the women, even though four helicopters, one airplane, 10 ground searchers and two search-dog teams scoured the densely vegetated area.

Around 4 p.m., Nelson was able to reach her mother again, Fister said. Shortly after that, one of the aerial searchers spotted the women.

For these two families a happy ending . . . many times uncommon when people lose their way in the wilderness here.

We celebrate life and living . . . for those Lost and Found.

Ice