I deeply appreciate Joe Biden's announcement yesterday that he was not running for President. The transparency of his grief and the process, owned up to so publicly, is an example for the rest of us. He took care of himself and his family first, and acknowledged what all of us know, that grief is not so simple or as speedy as we might like. Grief hits in waves, it distorts our decisions, it saps us of energy, and it takes its own sweet time to work its way in each of us. We make a timeline at our peril. I feel the health of Vice President Biden and his family has been considered seriously and wisely. We ignore or push grief aside only to find it relentless in its pursuit of us.
I appreciate President Obama being at his side when he made this announcement, and the respectful coverage of this private decision made public. I'm sure Biden would have made a terrific candidate, but the intention must not be to fulfill his dead son's dream for him, but for him to be in robust health in mind and body. The dead are dead, and the living must assess their limits and multiple responsibilities. Now the Bidens can care for their son's grandchildren better and more often, they can take pauses for their own waves of grief, and they can remember their son and support his family. That is the highest calling and the greatest honorable behavior. Bless them.
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