I feel compelled to respond to your article. In this day and age everyone is thinking about themselves first, rushing from here to there, eating out, emailing instead of talking to people, rushing their children from one "event" to the next and constantly saying, "I have to call so-and-so" or "Gosh I haven't seen so-and-so" or waiting for someone to pass away before they realize that they hadn't spoken in so long, or questioning why they hadn't visited this person, etc., but putting off that call or visit until it's too late. So many times I hear regrets that these things hadn't been done because "life is so busy". Tim Russert was as busy as anyone and from what I'm hearing, even busier. However, he never "talked" about making that call or paying that visit, he did it! He spoke for the average person and to the average person. My entire family reacted to Tim's death as though we had lost a member of our family.

Some people want to say it is too much. However, I feel that hearing the accolaides that are being spoken about him, and seeing the many wonderful "saintlike" sides of Tim, are helping us to heal. The words are also causing everyone to look at themselves in a different light. I myself have so many people that could use a phone call, or a visit, or a letter to cheer them up. I've made a list of people I keep saying I wanted to talk to or see and I plan on doing it! God had a funny way of working that does not always seem to make sense. I believe this is his way to wake people up. Nothing in life is more important that family and good friends. We all need to see what this incredibly busy man did, and the time he unselfishly put into all relationships he had, whether fleeting or longterm, and perhaps follow his example.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but anyone that has been guilty of putting things off, and anyone who has ever spent time watching Tim Russert and feeling that he entered your room every Sunday to tell you what was really going on, or has in any way been touched by Tim in any way (which by all accounts is far more people that I even imagined), has to appreciate this opportunity to talk about him, listen to the stories about him and thank God he lived on this earth. Also, hopefully, more people will wake up and take a few lessons from this wonderful man that will be sorely missed.

Thank you for letting me state my piece. In the past I would have only thought about writing this - I feel much better now that I have completed it.

JoAnn from Warwick, RI