Remembering The Son From Delaware Who Simply Cared
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It seems like yesterday when I left Delaware for an employment assignment in the south. When you live in Delaware it’s hard to leave because of the smallness and unique way everyone knows everyone. It doesn’t matter if you know people personally or not, somehow you still know them.
Recently the Vice President, a Delawarean and his family suffered yet another great loss being their son Beau. He was the same age as me and that means a lot being from Delaware. Just because you didn’t hang out with him didn’t mean you didn’t know of him and his family. As an adult I remember volunteering with Delaware Teen Idol and his sister Ashley coming on as a judge to support the community program for kids. Her spirit was just as sweet as the rest of the family. Their father Joe was the guy we all rode the train with over the years who greeted you with a smile whether he knew your name or not no matter how many times he saw you traveling down the northeastern corridor to his Washington, DC government job.
When I heard of the news of Beau’s passing it wasn’t simply from news reports. I got phone calls from family members and my Facebook timeline was full of breaking news from those I was still connected to, heartbroken over the death of a man who wanted to be fair to people. As Attorney General he wanted to make a difference in the lives of people and still let people know he cared. He didn’t seem to want to be far removed form the communities he served. He was a Good Man and everyone knew it whether you’d seen him in passing, shook his hand or simply knew his name.
We don’t know the day or hour when our time is done on this earth but we do know it will come eventually. We should teach our children to live good lives and grow up to be the good men we speak of on the Good Men Project each and every day. It seems long before this project was ever thought of, Vice President Biden had it down pat and raised “A Son to Be Proud Of.” Salute to you Beau Biden; may you rest in the same peace you sought to create for the residents of Delaware and for those you fought for in your service with the military.
If you are interested in helping to show the world how much Mr. Biden cared, please support the foundation formed in his honor by his wife. The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children will serve as a wonderful opportunity to keep his memory alive. Additionally, a temporary location has been set up to receive condolences and mass cards.
Photo: Flickr/Dept of Agriculture