johnson.senate.gov
Following is the transcript of the speech Sen.
Tim Johnson, D-S.D., delivered Wednesday in Sioux Falls during his
first return to South Dakota since his near-fatal brain hemorrhage
last December. The text appears on Sen. Johnson's Web
site.
Wow - You guys are a sight for sore eyes. It's
good to be home. I had a bet with my staff that this room
wouldn't be crowded, good thing I am too cheap to bet any money.
Thank you all for
coming, it's especially good to see folks from my hometown of
Vermillion.
Before I get too
far along in my remarks, it must already be clear to you that my
speech is not 100 percent. My doctors tell me that it will get
there and in fact if you ask Barb, she will say that I am already
talking too much. So, let me ask one thing of you tonight, if you
will bear with me in this, I will promise you that when my speech
is back to normal, I will not act like a typical politician and
overuse the gift."
They tell me I was
making news around the country last December and was getting the
biggest headlines of my life. I promise I won't go to such
extremes again to grab the front page. All that fuss… and the
guest of honor was asleep.
This has been a
long journey home - a journey that has taken longer than some
people have liked, and I count myself among them. In football, good
progress on offense is often described as three yards and a cloud
of dust. For me it seems, good progress has been an inch and a
cloud of dust. I've learned to appreciate each inch, each
milestone.
I owe a debt of
gratitude to a great many doctors, nurses and therapists that
brought me through the darkest moments of my life. I have received
top notch care, but I know I have more hours to log with them and
more inches and yards yet to gain.
With patience,
persistence and faith, I have fought back, and my will to keep
fighting for you, has never been stronger. I believe I have been
given a second chance at life … and as I stand here tonight, let me
say this: I will take that second chance and work harder than ever
to be the best I can be for each and every South
Dakotan.
I still struggle
physically with some words, but as I stand here tonight, I must say
I am struggling emotionally too… to put into words how very, very
much I appreciate the support I have received from family, friends
and all of South Dakota. We have received thousands of letters and
cards from people back home. They touched Barb and me in ways I
cannot describe. Many of these cards and letters decorated my
hospital room walls and some of the signed banners from groups of
South Dakotans still hang in my office.
Your words of
support and prayer sustained me and gave me determination and
faith. Your stories and prayers inspired me to keep fighting. From
the bottom of my heart, thank you South Dakota.
I also tonight want
to thank Mike, John and Stephanie for their incredible support
during all of this. We've worked together under some unique
circumstances over the last few months, but the team approach has
worked to make sure South Dakota was well represented.
I vow tonight to
keep this partnership working well…and delivering even more for the
people we serve and the state we love.
But as I needed and
wanted to get back home to thank so many people who have prayed and
cared for me, the one person I want to thank most is my wife
Barbara.
Barbara has been
the biggest and most important part of my life for more than forty
years. I cannot describe the love I have for this special woman.
She has always been there for me. She has always been my rock to
lean on. I thank God everyday for Barbara. I am a very lucky man
to have her by my side.
I have learned a
lot about myself in the last few months. I have always taken great
pride in putting South Dakota first and working as hard as I can to
fulfill my commitment to do what is best and right for you and our
great state. Hard work is something in which I take great pride.
So, let me say this tonight going forward: I am back.
I promise you all
that I will work harder than ever for you and for our state. Not
everyone gets a second chance at life. My commitment to you for my
second chance at life is to make you and all South Dakotans the
beneficiary of that gift.
Of course, I
believe I have an unfair edge over most of my colleagues right now
- my mind works faster than my mouth does. Washington would
probably be a better place if more people took a moment to think
before they spoke.
From here, I'll
take a few days off to be with family and to work with my staff. I
know they have logged a lot of miles around the state for me in the
last few months and it's time for more briefings from them.
And then back to
Washington. There will be a busy schedule on the floor this fall
and I'm hoping that folks will focus more on my work than how
quickly I walk these days.
Since 1986, I have
relied on your help to direct my actions in Washington. Then, and
now, this seat belongs to you. It belongs to farmers in Spink
County facing a crippling drought, to families in Elk Point looking
towards the future, and to South Dakotans like those in Lead who
are still celebrating a new birth of progress and vitality - a new
lab.
The greatest honor
in my life has been to stand by your side and fight for you in
Washington. Never in my life have I been so grateful that you… have
been standing by my side as well. From the bottom of my heart,
thank you South Dakota.
