“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” Gal 6:9
Do it. You never know if and when it will pay off. But I guarantee you there’s always a payback time. I recall that today as Kamala Harris makes history to be sworn in as first female, first black woman, first South-Asian Vice President of United States of America.
Years ago, Kamala Harris was Attorney General of the State of California. A very tough and dedicated prosecutor and public defender. In her role as AG, she took on mortgage companies who were ripping off the people of her state. She was looking to recover billions of dollars that those companies had illegally made from unsuspecting customers. She was ready to fight. She reached out to her colleagues, other states’ AGs for support. Many, especially those of Democrat run states, joined her crusade against the racketeering. One of the AGs stood out and showed unparalleled support for Kamala’s fight. Late Beau Biden was Attorney General of the State of Delaware. He was also the son of then Vice President Joe Biden. Kamala won her battle. She recovered a whopping $18b from the mortgage companies. But beyond that, Kamala and Beau bonded. They became friends. They kept their friendship. Beau would later introduce Kamala to his dad, Joe Biden as a dedicated and trustworthy ally. But Beau did not live long. When Beau passed on, his friend Kamala mourned him. She commiserated with the Bidens.
Years later, 2019-2020, Kamala and Joe found themselves as opponents in the race for the WH. The rivalry was bitter as expected. It was so particularly between Joe and Kamala at a point. Kamala pulled off her gloves to hit Joe perhaps harder than any other co-aspirants. It was on Joe’s record on race. That exchange helped Kamala’s run in no small measure. But she would soon run out of money and she decided to exit the race. She endorsed Joe.
Joe Biden, with the ticket secured, needed to pick a running mate. He committed to pick a woman. He realized that voting block would cement his win. Especially of African American women who have traditionally been enamored with the party. There were many women in consideration. A safe choice was thought to be Senator from MN, Amy Kloubchar. But then her record as prosecutor came up for scrutiny with trending George Floyd murder case. Joe beamed his searchlight to Kamala. Besides all other qualifying attributes, Joe Biden remembered his son’s friend and his son’s great words for his friend Kamala Harris. That relationship played a huge role in history Kamala Harris would make today.