I met Senator Kennedy ten years ago at a mind-numbing private fundraiser in Atlanta. I watched as affluent suburbanites lined up for photos with the senator and marveled at his patience; I wondered what would drive a man who had accomplished so much already to endure events like that one. The answer? Senator Kennedy was willing to smile, and joke and pose for two hours so that, for fifteen minutes, he could urge people to treat children with mental disabilities more compassionately, and to support research in that area. It is a terrible irony that Senator Kennedy should be stricken with a disease that may affect his own mental capabilities. Let us honor his life's work to date with our thanks, our prayers (even for those of us who are agnostics) and our vote in November.