Dear Friend,
We just want to take this opportunity to tell you how much you mean to us -- if we can just find the words to convey the breadth of our gratitude, affection, and pride.
Frankly, in this moment we don't trust words - they cannot be big enough for all that we feel. John said it best, of course, as he always does, in his speech at Broughton High School earlier this month, when he listed some of those he met along the way. But we want you to know that the speech at Broughton could only be a few minutes long while the list of those to whom we are indebted, by whom we have been inspired, and for whom we feel unbreakable bonds goes on and on.
You - the you that made us together a "we" - cannot be measured by minutes. In fact, there was not a single minute, not even a moment in the past fourteen months (yes, it has been that long) that you did not give us more than we gave you. You were at events before we came, you stayed and cheered us, and you gathered names and cleaned up after we left.
While we got the applause, you got to haul the signs. Though our photographs were in the paper, we want you to know that your faces are memorialized in our hearts. We knew then and we know now that we were only the names on the signs, the faces at the head of a great wave to bring politics and government back home, to you, the real "we" in this campaign.
You are the movement, you are the wave, and you will get your government back -- we know this because we believe in your strength, in your energy, in your power.
Our "we" includes each of you. And think about what you accomplished: with no institutional support, with no national endorsements, with little in the way of poll results to encourage you, you trusted yourselves more, and you believed. And then you spoke loudly enough, you worked hard enough, you believed in the cause enough to show America that no one except the voters get to choose in the end. No one will forget that lesson.
And we have not forgotten it either. The voters have said this: Senator Kerry will be our nominee. We are fortunate because John Kerry has strength and vision, which he has proven at every step of his accomplished lifetime. He has been brilliant and thoughtful and courageous beyond most of our imaginings. He has, too, an iron will that did not waiver in this process, though he, like we, had many moments when it might have. What that fact says about a man cannot be over-stated: John Kerry has what it takes to lead this nation. Now it remains for us -- all of us -- to make that happen.
Now, as we spend some time with the children, as we sort through mail and papers that have collected at the house, as we catch up on sleep that we were too busy to notice that we needed, we want to say this: We will always watch for you. You are part of our lives now and we won't say goodbye, because we do not want that to change.
Politics is not something strange and cold: it is just you and us, lots of yous and lots of us-es, standing in the rain with signs, marching in a parade, sharing cookies in a living room, waiting patiently in a church, cheering wildly in a hotel ballroom, blowing up balloons and making phone calls, passing out leaflets and knocking on doors, making a contribution and posting on the blog, and believing and believing and believing.
And we still believe at this very moment that anything is possible in America. Our work is just getting started and we need to maintain this energy and passion for our country until the final vote is cast in November.
We are stronger and better and broader and deeper than anyone knows. We are determined to change this country for the better, and we know what it takes in our hearts to end George Bush's presidency and launch a new beginning for America.
We can and we will make a difference as long as we continue to fight for the things that made us stand in the rain, knock on doors, make a contribution, and believe again. We will continue to hope and work hard to change the country we love. Stayed tuned for more information on how we can continue to make a difference, together, because for this campaign the difference is "We."
Thank you.
John and Elizabeth Edwards
P.S. - The next Edwards Meetup takes place tomorrow night, on Tuesday, March 23. Meetups for Edwards supporters are happening all over the country in hundreds of cities with thousands of supporters. This is an opportunity to stay involved in this fight against George W. Bush. Meet local Edwards supporters and discuss the progress of the election and the fight to come. For info:
http://edwards2004.meetup.com 
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