The late poet Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Thousands of Delawareans have stories about how Joe Biden touched their lives in ways they will never forget. Here are two of them.
On Dec. 29, 1982, my brother, Kevin, committed suicide. To spare my mother the agony of having to wait until the following week to hold his funeral, we decided to have a private funeral on New Year’s Eve. No obituary was published, and only family members and close friends were told when and where it would be held.
When we arrived at the funeral home, we noticed a lone figure standing in the doorway waiting for us. It was Joe Biden. He led my mother into the funeral home and to my brother’s casket. As he held her, he said, “It’s a bitch, isn’t it?” Joe knew what it was like to lose a child. We never knew how he found out when and where the funeral was being held, but we will never forget that he took the time, on New Year’s Eve, to comfort a grieving mother.
Years later, after my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Joe Biden called to ask if it would be OK to visit with her at my parents’ home. He showed up with a huge bouquet of roses in every color imaginable. He said that he didn’t know her favorite color, so he brought some of each. He sat next to her on the couch and held her hand as they talked. Relatives visiting from Florida couldn’t believe that a U.S. senator would take the time to sit with an old friend and comfort her in her last days.
Joe Biden has a way of making people feel special. When he takes office today, he will be one of the kindest, most thoughtful, honorable men to ever lead our country. May God bless Joe Biden and keep him safe.
Retired Sen. Karen Peterson
Wilmington
