R.I.P. Madelyn Dunham

What sad news. She got her grandson thiiis close to the finish line. It's up to the everyone else to help him cross it.

I'll refer, once again, to a timeless quote from James Baldwin:

"History is not a procession of illustrious people. It's about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is what history is about."

Dunham got us moving along, doing what she understood to be the right thing during the wrong time: love her grandson. For her act of courage, she was blessed with a gift that she's now passed on to the rest of us.

The question is: are we worthy?

UPDATE: Atrios brings up something I was talking about with my mother earlier this evening: "Obama's going into this without any of his guardians left - father, mother, stepfather, grandmother, grandfather."

If you'll allow me some sappiness and schmaltz for the moment, there's a sort of poetry to this moment. I just wonder if the woman Barack called "Toot" finally felt enough peace to let go, realizing that everything will be OK.