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

by Joe Biden

Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.

And if the problem is fear, the answer is knowledge. Each side has to be willing to try to understand the concerns of the other.

Funerals are for the living, I have always believed, and the job of the eulogist is to acknowledge the enormity of the loss they have just suffered and to help them appreciate that the legacy and accomplishments of their loved one have not died with them.

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 really 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?

Never tell a man what his interests are. Be straight and open with him about your own interests. And try to put yourself in his shoes. Try to understand his hopes and his limitations, and never insist that he do something you know he cannot. It’s really just about making the effort to make a personal connection.

“To fail to understand that life is going to knock you down is to fail to understand the Irishness of life.”