Even though I’m fairly ambivalent about the death of Ronald Reagan — not so much because of his politics, but mostly because it was such a “long goodbye” — I have to admit that I feel tugs of sympathy for Nancy Reagan. Whatever else she may have represented over the years, she also embodied devotion. She protected her husband for so long, from assassination attempts to Alzheimers. Now, looking at her drained face gazing from a limo, alone, I wonder what she will do now, by herself. Without Ronnie.
Devotion is a wonderful thing to observe, even if I dislike the devotee. I hope Nancy rises above all the hate she and her ilk spewed in the past and begins to see, and preach even, of compassion and tolerance that so often breaks through as people embrace their later years. Nancy as a pro-choice and pro-tolerance personality would change my feelings about the Reagans completely. We’ll see. For now though I won’t be one of those pawing at the casket, crying over something that never was.