Watching the coverage of Edward Kennedy's memorial services this weekend and hearing testimonials -- from Republicans and Democrats, the powerful and unnoticed -- reveal a side of the Senator that I did not know, and from which I hope to draw some lessons: He used the adversity that he had faced -- including the illnesses and deaths in his family and his own survival from a plane crash that left him in chronic pain -- to empathize with others in their times of pain and need. He evidently never allowed himself to sink into bitterness or pettiness. He never gave up on causes and people he believed in. He succeeded, even at a late date, in turning his own life around.

I realize that these are attributes that we all would like for ourselves, our children and our student clients.

Montana Dreamin'

One of my finest school trips of the summer entailed visiting eight far-flung Montana schools for everything from young kids with attachment disorders to pregnant young women learning to be attentive mothers. In between those institutional extremes I saw schools for adolescents with both issues to resolve and talents to develop, be they artistic, agrarian or equestrian. And between locations I ventured over creek-side logging roads, dodging deer, bunnies and elk, and praying not to have a flat tire or ruptured oil pan. The isolation and quiet (much less absence of cell coverage) provided a great time to recall how much I love my job.