Together with 'Ronnie' Forever By: Diane Sori/ The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots on http://americanpbn.com/
"My life began with Ronnie."
- Former First Lady Nancy Reagan's words to Vanity Fair magazine in
1998
Yesterday I cried upon hearing that a great lady had passed...a lady
of beauty, grace, and elegance...as former First Lady Nancy Reagan now
and forever is with her...and our...beloved 'Ronnie.'
The 94-year old former actress and devoted wife of Ronald Reagan died early
Sunday morning of congestive heart failure at her home in Bel Aire,
California, surrounded by family, after being in failing health for some
years. But if truth be told Nancy Reagan's heart died the day her
'Ronnie' passed.
Deeply and unabashedly in love with her husband, that love for each
other was obvious for all to see as they rarely appeared in public
without holding hands...and America reveled in that love for no matter
how old they became that spark of love and affection for each other was
their and our undeniable truth...a truth so missing from today's first
couple. And as our First Lady from 1981 to 1989, Nancy Reagan graced the
'People's House' with a sense of class, honor, and a deep love of
country...again something sorely missing today.
"I must say acting was good training for the political life which lay
ahead for us," Nancy Reagan once said adding that "the movies were
custard compared to politics."
Yet it was politics that allowed Nancy Reagan to leave a legacy of
compassion and caring. When Ronald Reagan was governor of California
(1967-1975), Nancy took a deep and heart-felt interest in the welfare of
Vietnam veterans, routinely visiting the war's wounded, and was active
in many projects relating to America's POWs. She also helped sponsor
Foster Grandparent, a program that pairs senior citizens with
handicapped children, and when First Lady she helped take Foster
Grandparent national.
Nancy Reagan got further involved in politics when she helped hire and
fire the political consultants who ran her husband’s failed 1976
Republican presidential bid, and then his successful campaign
for the presidency in 1980. And Nancy Reagan also played a pivotal role in the
1987 ouster of then White House Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan, whom
she personally blamed for "ineptness" after it was disclosed that her husband had
secretly approved arms sales to Iran, in what came to be known as the
Iran/Contra arms deal, along with her getting Reagan to apologize to the
nation for said deal.
And it was Nancy Reagan who was the first to understand the importance of working
to thaw Soviet/American relations, and who urged her husband to open up a dialogue
with the Soviet leadership...a dialogue which eventually led not only to the
tearing down of the Berlin Wall but which also led to the collapse of the
old Soviet Union, but left intact the warm relationship Reagan had
with Mikhail Gorbachev.
But what Nancy Reagan is most remembered for is her 'Just Say No'
campaign to combat drug abuse started during her White House years. In fact, in
1985, Nancy Reagan hosted an international conference at the White House
focusing on drug prevention among youth, which was attended by the
first ladies of 17 countries. And after leaving the White House, Nancy
Reagan became a strong advocate for stem cell research, continued to work hard to
promote better treatment for America's veterans, as well as going public
with her successful battle against breast cancer which helped to raise
public awareness of the disease. “He was all I had ever wanted in a man, and more,” wrote Nancy Reagan in her book 'My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan.'
But above all, Nancy Reagan was a devoted, loving, and
passionate wife...a wife who became fiercely protective of her husband
after the 1981 attempt on his life...and a wife who was part of Ronald
Reagan's very essence as she helped to shape the man who would become
one of America's greatest presidents. And that love never shone brighter
then on the day that Ronald Reagan became our 40th president as he
placed his hand on the holy Bible to take the oath of office, the look
on Nancy Reagan face was a look deeper than mere love...it was a look of
adoration, pride, and above all else respect for the man who would now
became steward of America's ship.
And when Reagan's two-terms as president were over...how I wish he were
president today...they returned to California where Nancy Reagan
continued her anti-drug campaign by forming the Nancy Reagan Foundation
to support educational and drug-prevention after-school programs. And
when in 1994, our beloved president announced he had been diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease, Nancy and Ronald together formed the Ronald and
Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago, an affiliate of the
Alzheimer's Association to help find a cure...a cure that included her
(rightfully) advocating for stem cell research believed by many to hold
the key to curing Alzheimer's...bucking the then Republican mantra
against said research. (This 2001 photo is one of the last photos ever released to the public of Nancy and Ronnie together.)
And with this disease leaving Nancy Reagan a decade to lovingly care for
her beloved 'Ronnie'...giving her the time needed to say her own
personal “long goodbye” with “hours spent with old love letters...” after
Reagan's death on June 5, 2004, Nancy tirelessly worked on projects related to the
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and promoted her husband's legacy
of leadership and freedom. And Frederick J. Ryan Jr., Chief Executive
and Chairman of the Board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
said, “She set the standard that first ladies will aspire to for many
years to come”...and some have and others sadly haven't.
"Thank God we found each other...Can't imagine life without him," Nancy
Reagan said in another 1998 interview. And now and forever more they are
home with God never to be separated again.
And so the tributes are starting to come in...here are but a few...with
former First Lady Barbara Bush saying, “Nancy Reagan was totally
devoted to President Reagan, and we take comfort that they will be
reunited once more...George and I send our prayers and condolences to
her family.” In a statement, House Speaker Paul Ryan wrote that, "Ronald
Reagan could not have accomplished everything that he did without his
wife Nancy." And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I
remember Nancy as a noble woman who supported President Reagan and stood
by his side. She will be remembered as a great friend of the State of
Israel.”
And presidential candidate Marco Rubio spoke that, “Today our nation
mourns the loss of Nancy Reagan, a true example of integrity and grace.
My prayers are with the entire Reagan family,” with fellow candidate Ted
Cruz saying that, “Nancy Reagan will be remembered for her deep passion
for this nation and love for her husband, Ronald. The Reagan family is
in our prayers.”
But Nancy's stepson, Michael, said it best in a simple tweet, "Nancy is
where she has always wanted to be...with her Ronnie...Now she is at
peace..." And to that affect Nancy Reagan will be buried at the Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, next to her
husband...together for all eternity...never to be apart again.
And for me, I will never forget Nancy Reagan, dressed in a white pants suit
looking ever so frail as she sat in a wheelchair at the 10-year
anniversary of her husband's death, and when asked about this day remarked that, “It is
really hard for me to believe that Ronnie has been gone for 10 years. I
still feel his presence every day and often find him in my dreams at
night"...and I will say in tribute to Nancy that Ronald Reagan's
presence continues to loom large even today for all of us who value
freedom and honor, and while we mourn Nancy's passing we know that now
they are together as their love story continues on forever and a day.
Rest in Everlasting Peace beautiful lady...you're with 'Ronnie' again.
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