MnIndy video: The Wellstone Memorial and Historic Site

Thanks for a delicate remembrance for Paul and family, co-workers and all who knew him as more than just a politician but a friend. All I can add are words written so long a time/so short a time ago it seems…

Northwood Benedictions 2002

Northwoods in Autumn carry a heavy burden now…moss and lichen thrive here,
hidden under leaves where alien chips of metal and debris share this place as smoke rises; a grey steam-like fog above the tops of broken trees.

Fuel fumes do not mix well with natural perfumes of Cedar, Aspen, Birch…or is it Jack-pine?

These woods are no cathedral but one dank, dark place of shadows unresolved; where even the birds have flown away.

Yesterday there was secret habitat, varied shades of greeness all around; foliage, a ragged curtain, azure sky peeking through.

So now only a ragged puzzle all awry?

White clad figures bend low, sifting; trying to find some clue to tell those watching, waiting there beyond the woods.

Mourners come hesitantly to this dark place. They place torn boughs to form a wreath, its shape no clear definition.

Yes it is a simple, fitting tribute for those who died here too, too soon.

Someone has sprinkled birdseed like confetti…such is a final gift by those who loved them best of all.

The birds are waiting on a farthur limb beyond the shattered clearing. They come when the mourners leave, when the white-clad searchers call it a day.

Chickadee, Sparrow, Cardinal, Crow. White Owl too, sentinels from a battered tree top. Birds eat silently.

Winds blow gently here even as snow falls and covers these wounded woods.

beryl knudson…and thanks again for the video tribute…powerful indeed.

Doesn’t really feel like six years ago. DFLers still react at such a visceral level when Wellstone comes up. I guarantee that all the talk of Democrats getting complacent doesn’t apply in Minnesota. We learned the hard way that the entire election can change in unforseeable and uncontrollable ways in the time it takes a news announcer to say, “We’ve received reports that Senator Wllstone’s plane has crashed.” Maybe teenagers who don’t really remember six years ago might think the election is in the bag, but the rest of us know better.

This was hard to watch. I still have a lump in my throat. I drive by this site 4 times a year and have never been able to stop. Maybe in a few years.
I have a most irrational (maybe) fear of planes and Obama for the next few days.

Thanks for a lovely memorial.

He used to say that politics wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about the improvement of people’s lives.

I miss Sen. Paul Wellstone. May he rest in peace and may his spirit, strength, and integrity live on for all those who endeavor to work for the improvement of people’s lives.

Thank you. For a short video this was pretty powerful and much appreciated!