Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.

Audible Audiobook– Unabridged

This week, I was interested to know more about the man in the news Joe Biden! I looked around for a book that would give me insights into who is taking over the MOST powerful office on planet earth and the search led me to an audiobook; Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.  

As the voting counting was going on, I began listening calmly to the audiobook. Biden is the narrator of the book, and the insights he gives reveals how he dealt with family experiences during an exceptionally tender time, a full year healing from the death of his son.

 He had to deal with so much pain while serving President Barack Obama as Vice President. I was astounded to learn about his strains of balancing, professional and personal responsibilities. 

I listened with interest to the descriptions of political challenges, and I noted that Biden pointed out those supportive people who helped him in with his work. Amidst everything, he was a proud husband, father, and grandfather. 

Promise Me, Dad, has a lot to offer; digging deep to expose the soul of a man who loves his family beyond anything else. The death of his son, Beau, slammed the brakes on what would have most likely been a successful bud for the US Presidency and tested his faith in the most trying ways. 

However, that tragic event also demonstrated how the strongest of family bonds can lift and sustain us even when life seems unbearable. In addition, the book shows Joe as a person with an unfathomable depth of caring for the United States and its status and stature on the world stage.

In the audiobook, Joe has demonstrated incredible resilience in his lifetime, and the Biden family bond appears to be rare and beautiful. The book also provides us with an insight into his thought processes and emotions and especially when it came to the decision on whether to run for the presidency in 2016. This is summarized by his statement... "But most importantly, my family and our faith warned me against the temptation of rationalizing in the pursuit of ambition." This is extremely powerful and is something to reflect on in our lives and evaluate how well we get driven by our faith and our families. 

Finally, my key takeaway from the book is based again on this quote from Joe "I try to be mindful, at all times, of what a difference a small human gesture can make to people in need. What does it cost to take a moment to look someone in the eye, to give him a hug, to let her know, I get it. You’re not alone”. How well does this quote apply in our lives and what do we need to calibrate to be in the same position as Joe?

Congratulations President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris