Decided to just spend the day just sitting quietly in the news of John Lewis’ passing.

If I had been given the opportunity to meet any member of this Congress, I would have chosen John Lewis.

1/
Literally just last night I was telling someone that I’ve never been terribly moved by celebrity.

Instead, I’m moved by ordinary people who when summoned by history, compelled by character, rise to the moment.

2/
We revere people like John Lewis because their entire life is guided by a moral compass that points only towards what is right.

No matter the danger. No matter the cost.

3/
People like John Lewis serve as moral bookends.

They serve as examplars.

Lighthouses.

Reminders that there is a solid beam of moral right even in the densest of fog.

4/
To me, throughout this particular moment in history, John Lewis has been a comfort.

His presence has been a reminder that we have survived worse and are capable of better.

5/
I have felt his passing heavily today.

It is not that I didn’t know it was coming. I did.

Weeks ago, he was pictured looking out over the Black Lives Matter mural in Washington, D.C..

6/
He was gaunt with the wasting of cancer.

His pant legs hung loose in the same way my grandfather’s did the last time I saw him.

It was his time. He did his work. May he rest in peace.

7/
For the rest of us though, for the living, we are left with a gaping loss. An irreplaceable man gone. A hope that cannot be filled.

And now history asks of us:

Who are we to be?

8/
I don’t know the answer.

Today, I know only a deep sadness at the passing of someone I admired so very much.

May we somehow rise to be worthy of his memory.

9/9
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