President Joe Biden on Monday night offered remarks and held a moment of silence with First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to mark 500,000 U.S. lives lost to the COVID pandemic.
Biden spoke of his own experience with loss: “I know all too well. that black hole in your chest. You feel like you’re being sucked into it. The survivor’s remorse. The anger. The questions of faith in your soul.”
“I know what it’s like to not be there when it happens,” said Biden, whispering into the camera. “I know what it’s like when you are there, holding your hands, looking in their eyes as they slip away. … That’s how you heal, you have to remember. 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. … For me the way through sorrow and grief is to find purpose.”
