NEVER LEAVE THE MEAT
Tim Russert was the moderator of Meet the Press for 16 years. He was famous for setting his guests up with loaded questions and then embarrassing them with their own words from earlier news clips that seemed to contradict what they were saying. His smile never faded during these “gotcha” moments whether they were getting the softball, humorous set-ups for those on the left, or the fiery darts he constantly threw at those on the right. In 2008 Tim dropped dead in an elevator in Washington, D.C. at age 58.
His entrapment techniques were not mentioned as he was eulogized by his fellow NBC television personalities, Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams. Funny how the dead are prepared by morticians to look as alive as possible and painted up by funeral speakers into a memory of perfection before they are put into the ground. As guests at the funeral, John McCain and Barack Hussein Obama, opponents in the race for the presidency, were assigned by the family to sit next to each other. Pallbearers included Bryant Gumbel and Matt Lauer. Also in attendance were Harry Reid and Bill and Hill — not exactly the group that I would choose to send me off through the veil. A recording of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, played as the funeral ended. You may recall that Israel was the 757 pound Hawaiian who died of morbid obesity at age 38 eleven years earlier. Beautiful music and kind words for a man who graced America with his smiling face as he trapped others and made them squirm each week on national television.
Not that I remember anything Tim Russert said for 16 years on Meet the Press -- I clearly remember the story told by his son, Luke, as he spoke at his father’s funeral. He described his father as being a very busy, driven man who was always on the move and could not stay still long enough for a conversation. In fact, Luke said about the only time he could talk with his father was while he was barbequing. It was here that his father taught Luke his greatest principle, the lesson of “Never leave the meat.”
Whenever I stand at my own grill watching for too much smoke or sizzle, I think of Tim Russert’s admonition not to leave the grill unattended. Along with all the rich nuances of cooking, the message of paying attention, keeping your eye on the ball, never leaving a potential fire, and tending to things that matter, are lessons in this story that have been passed along to my children and grandchildren. Those who understand my take on this realize that the wisdom here goes far beyond grilling.
My father taught me some of these lessons while we cleaned fish in Island Park. As a child, I learned far more from watching what he did than what he said. One of my great fortunes was spending time together after he retired. By then, I had a doctor's perspective and we had much in common. Listening came more naturally because our respect for each other had deepened greatly. This did not happen with either of my grandfathers -- I never knew them, fished with them, or stood by them while they cooked. I never heard their voice as they told their stories. Perhaps there will be a few eternal moments for us to stand together by a barbeque grill, never leaving the meat.
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