I'm texting for the Biden campaign, but not supposed to share personal info through texts. However, many people ask why I am so sure about my vote. So instead, I'm sharing my Joe Biden story here.

CW: death, suicide

I grew up just across the border from Delaware and went to school in Wilmington. It is a small state and a small community in many ways, and I've met various members of the Biden family throughout my life, including Joe. They have been kind, caring, and chatty.

But this isn't my story. It's my Dad's. And he only told it to me once in full when I was young, so please forgive any missing details.

He was driving home from school in Wilm. with some friends when they witnessed a terrible car crash. They immediately all jumped out to help.

He and his friends tried to help however they could before the police and firefighters arrived. I don't know exactly what they were able to do. I was young, he spared me details. I do remember him saying he would never forget the scene.

This is something I heard later from my grandmother, so again, forgive the secondhand details. But at some point later, Biden or someone from his family made a point to find out who the boys were that tried to help, and went in person to thank them.

That extra step, in the midst of great personal tragedy, shows a level of compassion I not only want in our leaders, but want to emulate myself. It is something that seems missing from today's discourse.

But I digress.

Dad was a hard man to love. He was a Republican. But for the rest of his life, if anyone said anything bad about Biden, he would stop them and say, "He is a nice guy who went through very hard things and is still trying." That may not seem like much, but it was a lot from Dad.

My Dad was a difficult person, to say the least. He had many faults. But he tried, all his life, to do the best he could with what he had, and respected others who did the same.

He died by suicide over a decade ago. I still miss him every day.

I'm voting for Joe Biden and doing what I can to convince others to do the same. I know my Dad would have too, because he believed Joe was a good person, despite differing views.

Sometimes, the best you can do is support someone as they are, rather than who you wish they were.

Vote for yourself, vote for those who can't, and vote for a kinder future.

Thanks for listening. Have a lovely day.

#VoteBidenHarris