Dumnezeu sa l-ierte | May God Forgive Him

My best friend called me at one in the morning to tell me the news. He, like other close friends and family know that Sargent Shriver became my hero after I read his biography, during my internship at the U.S. Public Service Academy.

In fact, the day after he was hospitalized, I treated my host family to a little history lesson at our dinner table. At one point, the conversation even turned to whether I could actually use the word "hero" to describe him. One said no, because I never met him. Another said yes, and used my history lesson and the fact that I am a beneficiary of the program he created to support her arguments.

All of the stories I shared about Shriver came from his 2004 biography by Stossel. I think all Peace Corps Volunteers should read it, but by now I am surely a broken record on that. Peace Corps Volunteers in Moldova can also go back to the September edition of the Grapevine, where I gushed admiration for Shriver and his biography.

I don't really know how to honor him, to celebrate his life and accomplishments. Please take a moment to watch this video. Only a 1,700 people have watched this clip on You Tube, but millions will watch dogs dance the macarana. I think we have a problem, but we'll discuss it another day...After seeing the video, I think it's relatively easy to understand why he once came to say, "Being accused of enthusiasm is something I'll never live down."

Rest in peace Mr. Shriver.