From the beginning of your political career, you have had to also deal with life-shattering personal tragedy.

Not once, but twice. First, when you lost your wife and daughter to a horrendous car crash just as you won your first Senate seat and then to lose your son Beau while in office as Vice President.

Throughout your campaign, your empathy is what has resonated with the American people. They saw something special in you — a warm, confident dignity.

You didn’t put anyone down, make fun of anyone, or grab anyone by a part of their body. …

Writing

I had blinders on. I didn’t get the memo.

I’m just going to throw this one out there.

Sometimes you have to learn about the tools you are given the hard way. When Medium says, connect your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., accounts, they’re not kidding.

If you post your article outside of Medium — using the article’s long URL or with a “friend link” you will not get paid — it will be considered an external view.

However, if you are in the article and click on the social media links (and have your accounts linked to your Medium account), in other words, using Medium’s social media tools —…

Yesterday I was suddenly inspired to move some furniture around.

I even consolidated some items that made it possible for me to throw out a stainless steel cart (dubbed the animal dissection table by a friend) that I initially purchased to hold a gourmet gas grill — but was now being used as a microwave cart — away.

When you look at the cart, it doesn’t look that heavy. I probably never noticed because fully assembled; it has wheels — so I never had to lift it.

Instead of trying to fold the cart as much as it would allow…

Publishing and Writing

It’s not what you think.

There’s a word that begins with the letter P that rules them all.

It’s not Please.

It’s not Peace.

It’s not Patience.

It’s not Progress.

It’s not even Possibility.

It’s definitely not Power.

It’s Publish.

There is no greater Power than that of the mighty pen. Our freedom of expression can be fully deployed with our words. Every word is a universe of beautifully strung-together sentences to create Powerful messages. This Is the Power of Publish. The rights of free speech are paramount in a Peaceful society.

Publish raises any conflict to inform others who can help. Publish speaks truth to Power…

Beware the Ides of March. — William Shakespeare

There is something to that line — more than that, it was the death warning to Julius Caesar by a fortune teller (in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar) that gives me chills up and down my spine. March 15th was the day my husband died — or as many others would say, he returned to the non-physical realm. It was also his birthday.

Eight years ago was one of the most traumatic, horrific moments of my life. I watched my husband die of brain cancer on his 57th birthday. For some reason, this…

Politics

“I promise you, the day will come when the memory of the loved one you lost will bring a smile to your lips before a tear to your eye. It will come, I promise you.” — Joe Biden

Last week, while I watched President Biden solemnly and appropriately mark the deaths of 500,000 COVID-19 victims in the United States — a little over a year since his predecessor said it “would magically go away” — I felt it was something as our “empathizer-chief” only he can do. He’s been there. He walks the talk. …

I grew up with Mister Rogers. Every day after school, he could be found on the public television station. Watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was like being in a safe, happy place. His “world” was fun to escape to for thirty minutes each day. He talked about feelings. How to express them — through his rich characters and the stories he created for them and the discussions. He created a safe space before anyone even knew what that was.

And the visits he brought the viewers on were always so fun — and unexpected. He literally brought us on field trips…

You have more power than you think.

Every time you feel a wave of frustration coming over you during the impeachment trial because of the possibility that the Senate won’t convict. Think about the large companies you do business with and let your fingers go.

Call your bank. Call the financial institution that holds your 401k (I was shocked that mine supported the GOP so heavily! I am moving my money.) Call your cell phone provider. Call your internet service provider. Think about the companies that touch you every day. Call them. Ask them.

Another way to know is to…