DENVER — (CNN) Vice President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the grief he felt over losing his eldest son in May hasn’t yet abated.
It was the latest example of the vice president recollecting Beau Biden in public remarks, weaving his son’s memory into policy speeches and casual conversations.
“I got off a plane today at the airbase and I met a whole bunch of military folks there waiting to see me,” Biden said in Colorado, where he was participating in a roundtable on community colleges. “They all made reference to my son and his military service and expressed their condolences. And although it’s still kind of an open wound, it gave me a sense of strength knowing they all meant it.”
In the nearly two months since Beau Biden passed away after battling brain cancer, Biden has returned to a full work schedule, including managing the administration’s policies in Ukraine and Iraq. He’s spoken to the leaders of both countries in the past several days.
So, too, has Dr. Jill Biden returned to a full working schedule as second lady, touring this week in Asia to promote girls’ education.
But as the Bidens resume their public lives, their son’s death is never far from mind
In June, as the vice president addressed young veterans in a foreign policy speech last month, he lauded the group for being engaged “like my son Beau was.”
When Biden led a U.S. delegation to Canada to watch the Women’s World Cup final, he brought along Beau Biden’s children, aged 9 and 10. Chatting with reporters during the match, the vice president recalled his son’s days on the soccer pitch.
“Beau played and was captain of the soccer team,” he said. “I never played soccer. But I watched all Beau’s games.”
In the aftermath of June’s church shooting in Charleston, the Bidens attended a Sunday service at the site of the shooting while vacationing on nearby Kiawah Island.
“I wish I could say something that would ease the pain of the families and of the church but I know from experience — and I was reminded of it again 29 days ago — that no words can mend a broken heart,” Biden told the mourning congregation at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
“No music can fill the gaping void … at least in my experience only faith. Only faith,” Biden said. “Sometimes even faith leaves you just for a second. Sometimes you doubt.”
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