The First Lady of the United States writes about the heartbreaking death of Beau, who died in 2015.
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden is sharing how her family healed after the death of her and President Joe Biden's son, Beau.
In a piece for Oprah Daily, Dr. Biden writes about grief and finding normalcy after Beau's death in 2015.
"The Monday before Thanksgiving in 2016, Joe and I drove through familiar neighborhoods of gray-blue shingled houses to a cottage not far from the Nantucket Sound," Dr. Biden writes. "The year before, our family had forgone our yearly Thanksgiving tradition. Nantucket was just another place to remind us of all that we had lost, like a photograph with Beau’s face cut out. I knew how hard it would be to come back, but this year, the grandkids had asked. Thanksgiving was Nantucket. They missed the little shops, the ice cream parlor we always visited, the traditional Friday lunch. They wanted to watch the Christmas tree lighting and wander the cobblestone streets. They wanted to be together and feel normal again. So, Joe and I said yes."
The president and first lady share a daughter, 39-year-old Ashley, while the president is also dad to Hunter, 51, and the late Beau and Naomi, who died in 2015 and 1972, respectively. Dr. Biden writes about how very slowly and emotionally her family "fell back into our old routine," but that being all together and having their love for one another was how they were able to "move forward, day by day."
"When I was younger and upset, my mother used to tell me, 'Things will always look better in the morning.' How many days in those dark months had she been proven wrong? How many times had I awakened from a dream, only to realize my child isn’t back, feeling like we’ve lost him all over again?" she expresses. "Yet, she was also right. The sun keeps coming up, and the spring keeps coming back. The world turns, and each morning brings you gifts of the life that continues: coffee with the man who’s loved you through better and beyond worse; full dinner tables with flickering candles and long conversations; grandchildren who pull you back to yourself and your family, even when it’s the last thing you think you want."
Dr. Biden adds that ultimately she's learned that, "At some point in our lives, we will all be broken and bruised -- but we are not alone. We find joy together. We persevere together." She also added in part, "And together, we are so much more resilient than we know."
The newly-launched Oprah Daily includes OprahDaily.com, O Quarterly, a new print edition that will debut on newsstands on March 30 and publish four times a year, and Oprah Insider, a special membership-only community, where readers can connect live with Oprah other O personalities including editor at large Gayle King, creative director Adam Glassman and more.
For more on Winfrey's latest venture, watch below.
RELATED CONTENT:
