Betty Ford: Elegant Imperfection – A Legacy

This is a guest post by Rabbi Mitch who writes at Life Cycles with Rabbi Mitch. 

He is committed to bringing meaning and purpose to your life in a way that helps you connect to a spiritual path of joy in your expression of faith.

By now the news of Betty Ford’s death has reached us all. No doubt we each have our own memories, feelings and thoughts about her. I would like to share some of mine with you.

Betty Ford was and will always be one of my heroes. For those of us old enough to remember Betty during her peaks, we knew her as an attractive if not sexy wife of Gerald Ford, Michigan Congressman and then President of the United States. Betty and Gerry enjoyed a love affair for the ages, but that did not prevent her from speaking her mind. When she spoke, she spoke clearly and directly.

She spoke of a women’s right to choose at a time when Republican wives were not supposed to say that; she spoke of believing her children had gotten high and if she were their age she probably would as well; she spoke of her daughter more than likely having engaged in a sexual union; she spoke her mind at all turns and at all costs.

As we got to know and love her, we learned that she had breast cancer and she shared the journey with us. She then came to the microphone and told us she was a pill popping addict and drunk.

Imagine the courage it took; the First Lady of the United States telling us how flawed she was and giving us hope that if she could get well so could we. Her grace and elegance at all times will be what I remember about Betty. Her willingness to be honest about her imperfections hoping that her experience might help save another person; her dedicating her life to service, parenting, education, family issues, recovery, children, hunger and humanity.

Betty Ford was a beacon of hope, courage, faith and grace.