When a man who is only 58 years old dies suddenly at work--a man whose own father is still living--it's a good time to take stock, especially if you happen to be in the fifth decade of life yourself. Your faithful correspondent dutifully walked for 30 minutes this morning (thanks for the tip, fellow Reader's Digest blogger Julie Bain!), chose sourdough pretzels over barbeque potato chips at the grocery store, while opting for wheat bread instead of white on his sandwich. Throw an apple in the grocery cart, too, and it's all good. But the true lesson of Tim Russert's passing is how he lived, not how he died. Specifically, it's how he treated other people, starting with his own dad.
Timothy--that's what the pope called him--was a Christian with a large "c" and a small "c." It's going to be difficult, I'm sure, for the NBC family to put Meet the Press on the air tomorrow, Father's Day, without the man who was like a father (and a brother, and son, and friend) to those who worked with him. The best compilation of Russert vignettes I saw this morning was put together by The Politico's Mike Allen, who is himself a national treasure and whom Russert always called "Uncle Mike." To read it, click here.
Speaking of television journalists, one trait that made Russert so appealing for his viewers was that he knew when to remain silent, as well as when to talk. That thought occurred this morning while watching the landing of the Space Shuttle. The cable news outlets carried it--at least the ones I saw did--but there was so much babble accompanying the pictures that I switched to C-SPAN, which took the NASA feed, along with its minimalist commentary. Maybe I'm getting old, but it was...perfect. So, in the spirit of not waiting for good people to pass this vale before expressing our appreciation: Brian Lamb, you and your team rock!
The Lineup is our blog of lists that cover topics like health, money, career and books. Written by Reader's Digest editors and guest experts, The Lineup will give you great advice you can use in your daily life.
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