Since her death yesterday morning there has been a huge deluge of photos, personal quotes, television and film clips, and personal reminiscences honoring the life of one of Hollywood's greatest actresses ever, Elizabeth Taylor. In fact, there's been so much attention focused on her passing - justifiably so, she was one helluva lady - that I wasnt even going to write about her but after thinking about the many different ways she has touched so many peoples lives, including my own, I wanna give her personal tribute.
Elizabeth Taylor was more than just a famed, legendary movie actress. She was also a mother, a grandmother, a successful business woman and an extremely great humanitarian. She was the type of person whom by her own unselfish actions created ripple effects of positive change that reached the lives of so many others. She wasn't just great because of her fame and fortune, she was great because she was a decent human being who set one of the best examples for living life - no matter what adversities you encounter in your life, you keep picking yourself up by your bootstraps and you keep giving it your best shot, always. Yes, she truly set one of the most profound examples of what it means to be a good human being. Not many people in the entertainment industry have been able to accomplish that in their lifetimes, but she most certainly did.
As most of the world knows, she was one of the first major celebrities to stand up and do something in the battle against AIDS by creating the organization AmFar (American Foundation for AIDS Research) back in 1985 and though that particular AIDS foundation has had its share of ups-n-downs, as most such organizations have, Elizabeth Taylor never abandoned it, nor the people for whom it was intended for. No matter what personal trials and tribulations that woman experienced, she always continued to put the well-being of others first on her lists of countless priorities. It takes more than just the financial funds she funneled into it to keep something like that going, it takes commitment and dedication, both of which she was never-failing on. It takes both a person with a huge heart and a whole helluva lotta class to do what she did and I for one, both as a human being and an Hiv+ individual, will always be grateful for the huge positive difference she made in the lives of so many others.
And that right there is what set Elizabeth Taylor apart from her contemporaries - she was living proof that if a person really focuses themselves and utilizes all the various resources they have around them, they really can make a huge difference in the world, as well as a major impact in the lives of so many others. It's been said that one person cannot change the world, but Elizabeth Taylor's life was and is proof that they most certainly can. Elizabeth Taylor was more than just a champion in the fight against AIDS as well as for the rights of those afflicted with the disease; she was also a champion in living life and trying to be the best person one can possibly be. Both on-the-screen and off-the-screen, I think she always delivered that inner strength to so many others and I will never forget her for that. Thank you Elizabeth Taylor, for sharing your life with all of us and for always caring.
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