{"id":3870,"date":"2020-04-11T10:04:26","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T15:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/?p=3870"},"modified":"2020-04-11T10:19:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-11T15:19:33","slug":"joe-biden-to-his-12-yo-self","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/04\/11\/joe-biden-to-his-12-yo-self\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Biden to his 12 year old self"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes I like to read more than view but if you don’t then go Youtube Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

==============<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nDear Joe,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019re only twelve. Your stutter is debilitating. It embarrasses you, and the bullies are vicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBut listen to Mom when she says, \u201cbravery resides in every heart\u201d \u2014 and\n yours is fierce and clear. Listen to Dad when he says, \u201cwe get knocked \ndown, and then we get right back up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBecause if you listen, you\u2019ll summon the bravery to overcome the stutter and stand up to the bullies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll learn from Dad who moved the family to look for work \u2014 that a \njob is a lot more than a paycheck; it\u2019s about dignity and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll learn from him that the cardinal sin is the abuse of power \u2014 and\n you have an obligation to fight the abuse whenever you see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd that\u2019s why you\u2019ll follow your heart to serve your community, state, and your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAn intolerance for the abuse of power will drive you to stand up for \ncivil rights, end the scourge of violence against women, confront \ncorporations polluting the environment, and fight crimes against \nhumanity and ethnic cleansing around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd because you listened, you\u2019ll live a life fully consistent with what you were taught by Mom and Dad and your faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThat you should say what you mean and mean what you say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThat we cannot serve ourselves at the expense of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tLeading by the power of example will define you, and one day, find \nyourself forging a relationship with a Jesuit Pope who embodies that \nuniversal truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBut you\u2019ll also learn early \u2014 and later \u2014 in life that reality has a way of intruding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tOne day you\u2019re on top of the world, only to be brought down in a flash \nwith a profound loss and grief that leaves a black hole in your heart, \nquestions of faith in your soul, and an anger beyond rage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThat\u2019s when you\u2019ll have to dig deep and live what Mom taught you \u2014 that\n out of everything terrible that happens, something good will come if \nyou look hard enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll hold on with faith and pure grit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll be blessed with a love that will anchor you as deeply as your faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYour bond with your children and grandchildren will be your redemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYour ties with your sister and brothers will hold you tighter together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBecause of a family grounded in unconditional love and loyalty, and the\n compassion of friends and strangers, you\u2019ll not only get help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll get up. You\u2019ll keep going. You\u2019ll give back in kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll realize that countless people have suffered equally or more, but\n with much less support and much less reason to want to get through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBut they too get up. They too keep going. As you will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll learn what it means to be an American. There\u2019s no quit in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll learn that happiness and success in life is an accumulation of a\n thousand little things built on the character of who we are as \nAmericans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tA country where no one is better than you, and everyone is your equal \u2014\n regardless of who they are, what they do, where they come from, or who \nthey love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll learn that it\u2019s about being personal. Being there for family and friends. Serving your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBuilding real relationships, even with people with whom you vehemently disagree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThat\u2019s America \u2014 made up of ordinary people, like you, doing extraordinary things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd one day when you graduate from law school, you\u2019ll decide to become a public defender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tIn the midst of the epic struggle for civil rights, you\u2019ll be walking \nthe streets on the east side of Wilmington, much of which has been \nburned to the ground after your heroes were assassinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tForty years later, you\u2019ll stand on a train platform overlooking the \neast side. Wilmington and the nation are no longer aflame, but awaiting a\n new ripple of hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tYou\u2019ll be waiting for a young black man, inspired by the dream of a \nKing, coming from Philadelphia to pick you up and take you on a 124-mile\n trip to Washington to be sworn in as President and Vice President of \nthe United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tTogether, you\u2019ll prove that change is hard but necessary; progress is \nnever easy but always possible; and things do get better on our march \ntoward that more perfect union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThat\u2019s the history of the journey of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd believe it or not, because you listened to Mom and Dad, you\u2019ll help write it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep the faith, Joey.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes I like to read more than view but if you don’t then go Youtube Here ============== Dear Joe, You\u2019re only twelve. Your stutter is debilitating. It embarrasses you, and the bullies are vicious. But listen to Mom when she says, \u201cbravery resides in every heart\u201d \u2014 and yours is fierce and clear. Listen to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3870"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3872,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870\/revisions\/3872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charleswmoore.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}