For the first time in my adult life, I have had a story read to me… the whole thing, all 500 – plus pages, and it was wonderful. True Compass is Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s memoir, his last writing, which was published shortly after his death from brain cancer at the end of August 2009. The unabridged autobiography is contained on 17 CD’s and while I must admit that I wasn’t crazy about the voice or the cadence of narrator, John Bedford Lloyd, the pleasure of being read to, far outweighed any displeasure I found in the narrators’ style.

I have lived my entire adult life in the state of Massachusetts. I’m a political junkie and I thought that after reading thousands of pages about the Kennedy family…I thought that I knew pretty much all there was to know about the entire clan; including Teddy. But True Compass surprised me over and over again.

In his long political career, Ted Kennedy held a seat in the Senate for almost 50 years. During that time he served under 10 different presidents, including his older brother, John F. Kennedy. And which president did Teddy think was the most productive? JFK’s successor, Lyndon Johnson. Kennedy quite simply believed that Johnson’s Civil Rights Legislation and his War on Poverty were the most progressive bills brought forth by any president since FDR.

I was surprised by the depth of Kennedy’s faith. Certainly I knew that Catholicism was a defining factor in the lives of all of the Kennedy’s, but Teddy’s belief in an all-loving and all-powerful God formed the foundation of his existence and provided the strength that sustained him throughout the well documented tragedies of his life. That faith was real, not just window-dressing.

If faith was the foundation of Teddy’s life, then optimism and perseverance were the supportive beams. There was constant work towards redemption and everlasting gratitude for the second chances he had been given. Ted Kennedy found a second chance at love; indeed, the title, True Compass, is in honor of his second wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, who Teddy credited as being the most constant and steadying force in his life. His true soul mate as well as his true compass.