TThe black armored limousine left Joe Biden’s home on the leafy outskirts of Wilmington shortly before 7:30 a.m. It was a clear Thursday morning with blue skies. The short trip was not on the president’s public agenda, so the usual group of pro-Palestine protesters did not know how to gather to shout to silence his motorcade as he passed by.
The world would soon remember that Thursday for what would happen 10 hours later: a New York jury would end its deliberations sooner than many expected, voting unanimously to convict a former President on 34 criminal charges. But that’s not how Joe Biden records that day. For all the Bidens, May 30th will always belong to Beau.
It was exactly nine years ago that Joe Biden’s eldest son died of brain cancer, at age 46. The rhythms of ritual are important to the president, and he has set aside the work of governing the world’s most powerful nation to join his extended family at their local parish church for a service in Beau’s memory. Biden attributes his son’s death to his exposure to toxic burn pits while he was an Army lawyer in Iraq and said the loss was one of the reasons he doesn’t want more U.S. troops deployed in protracted wars.
As he drove to the church where his son is buried, he had to face many important decisions. Biden spent days discussing with his advisers how to allow Ukraine to fire American weapons into Russian territory to defend the northern city of Kharkiv, and how to convince Israel to do more to protect civilian lives while pursuing Hamas fighters in the densely populated city of Kharkiv. Rafah. .
And there was the question of his re-election. The day before, he had made a trenchant argument to black voters in a Philadelphia high school gymnasium about why they should overwhelmingly support him over his predecessor. And within hours, he would have to decide how to respond, as Donald Trump has officially become a convicted felon.
But for 34 minutes inside the bright yellow walls of St. Joseph’s Church in Brandywine that morning, Biden enjoyed a moment of quiet contemplation surrounded by those he loves most: First Lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter, his daughter Ashley, her sister Valerie and many of her grandchildren.
When the service ended, Biden left the church with several family members. Some walked in front of him and others a few feet behind as they began the short walk to Beau’s tombstone. But for a few minutes along the way, no one walked alongside Biden. He walked silently and alone.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
