Russert in Rome

I want to take a moment to recognize the life and passing of one of my all-time favorite TV personalities, Tim Russert. A week ago, Russert, his wife Maureen Orth and their son, Luke, had been celebrating Luke’s graduation from Boston College with a family trip to Italy. Russert left his family in Rome and returned to Washington DC on Thursday night. He died at the NBC studios on Friday afternoon. Tonight on Countdown, Keith Olbermann briefly showed a picture of the Russert family standing and smiling together in a corridor of the Vatican Museum. I gasped out loud when I saw it. I have stood there before, and shortly, I may stand there again. But, for me, it will never be the same. For ten days, I will wonder if I am walking in the Russerts’ footsteps, if I am taking as much pleasure from the sights and sounds as they did, if they know I’m thinking about and grieving with them. Probably not, but that’s the kind of sentimental sap I am. Rome, Russert. Just had to say it.

Picture taken from The Huffington Post.