this i believe essays funeral

Words of wisdom: Always go to the funeral.

About 10 years ago National Public Radio broadcast a series of essays called “This I Believe.” Some of the essays were by famous people, others by people I had never heard of. The one I remember best was called “Always Go to the Funeral.” It was funny, moving, unexpected, with a message simple and practical.

That essay often pops into my mind, usually when I am on the way to a funeral. Recently, I realized I would make one small adjustment to its pithy advice. “Do it for the family,” the essayist Deirdre Sullivan recalls her father instructing her when he dropped her 16-year-old self off at the funeral service of her fifth-grade teacher. These days I would say, “Do it for yourself.”

Cheerfully attending to whatever unwelcome task crops up is not to my mind a common or even natural trait in human beings.

Funerals are instructive. I learn things I never knew about the person who died, things that make me think more about how they lived and what their lives say about their faith and values. A recent funeral service for Mr. Bliss—a man I knew almost all of my life, though never well—surprised me when a daughter described her father as a man so meticulous and methodical that he never lost his keys, wallet or sunglasses. She then shared that Mr. Bliss happily did any job that needed to be done at his home or office. Cheerfully attending to whatever unwelcome task crops up is not to my mind a common or even natural trait in human beings. I had always found Mr. Bliss a friendly soul, but I came away from his funeral persuaded that he was something more: a formidably organized, well-disciplined personality who had attained an equanimity of spirits as rare as it is impressive. When I learned that among the many items he never lost was his temper, the word “saintly” crossed my mind.

Last month I attended my aunt’s memorial service. There was never a question of my not going to this service. For one thing, she was my aunt, and I only had two of them. For another, she was a star. She and her husband lived 600 miles away in Denver, where they moved in a constant whirl of activity. They were a great couple. He was witty and quick, with deadpan humor and superb timing. She was warm and vivacious. They both liked a good time and had one. One of my cousins said she thought of putting on her mother’s tombstone: “She sure had fun.”

People’s lives testify to their beliefs as much or more than their words.

I wish I had asked my aunt what she believed. I wonder what she would have said. But she was not one for introspection or philosophizing. She lived in the present. Empathetic and emotional, she was also pragmatic and levelheaded. Nobody teared up more quickly about the misfortunes of friends or strangers alike than her. And yet she was not lachrymose or depressed but energetic and vital. An innate joie de vivre drew people to her. She loved meeting them and connecting them to others. At the memorial reception hosted by her children there was much discussion of “The Claw,” the hand that descended on your forearm and firmly grasped it as she steered you toward a person she was convinced you needed to meet because he or she was in the same line of work or had a daughter or son who was or had just returned from a spot where you were going or knew something you would want to learn.

People’s lives testify to their beliefs as much or more than their words. Their habits paint a picture of what they really put stock in: friendship or an ideal of excellence or security or wealth or whatever it is that animates them. Hearing a eulogy at a funeral nudges me into thinking about my own conduct. It is a lesson in life, one bigger than I will ever fully grasp.

Listening to friends and family members talk about the person they have lost, I know that I am tuning into the last few bars of music, the faint receding chords of a symphony that I have largely missed. The conductor has put down his baton; the music has ceased, but everyone at the funeral is still caught up in the spell of what has been played. There is a sense of mystery that draws me in. It is in that mystery we honor wherein my faith and the faith of the dead meet briefly in communion.

Margot Patterson is a writer who lives in Kansas City, Mo.

Most popular

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

The latest from america

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

This I Believe

• Subscribe to NPR's Up First Email

Celebrating Four Years Of 'This I Believe'

April 27, 2009 • During its four-year run on NPR, This I Believe engaged listeners in a discussion of the core beliefs that guide their daily lives. We heard from people of all walks of life — the very young and the very old, the famous and the previously unknown.

Saying Thanks To My Ghosts

April 26, 2009 • Novelist Amy Tan hasn't always believed in ghosts, but as a writer she's had too many inspirations that she can't fully explain. Now, Tan embraces her belief in ghosts and the messages of joy, love and peace they bring her.

Life Is An Act Of Literary Creation

April 23, 2009 • Mexican-American novelist Luis Urrea used to think that simply being a good observer would make his writing better. But over time, he's come to believe that being a good writer and a good person comes from paying attention to the world around him.

The Art Of Being A Neighbor

April 12, 2009 • A few years ago, Eve Birch was broke and living alone in a dilapidated mountain shack. But a community of people befriended her, shared what little they had with her and showed Birch the value of neighbors uniting to help one another.

Muhammad Ali John Lair/Muhammad Ali Center hide caption

I Am Still The Greatest

April 6, 2009 • To be the "Greatest of All Time," boxing legend Muhammad Ali says you have to believe in yourself. It's a lesson his parents taught him and it has helped him in fighting Parkinson's disease.

Dancing To Connect To A Global Tribe

March 29, 2009 • Matt Harding has been to 70 countries to dance — badly — in front of a camera, and videos of his travels have become an Internet sensation. Harding believes interacting with so many different people challenges him to understand what unites humanity.

My Father Deserves Spectacular Results

March 26, 2009 • Environmental activist Van Jones is a special adviser to the Obama administration. He says his dad, who died last year, would have gotten a kick out of seeing Obama become president. But his dad had high standards, and there is much more work to be done.

The Beatles Live On

March 15, 2009 • Macklin Levine was born more than 25 years after the Fab Four broke up, but at 12, she has a deep appreciation for Beatles music. "As old as the songs are, you can learn a lot about yourself from the lyrics," she says. And the Beatles help her remember her Dad, too.

Finding Freedom In Forgiveness

March 5, 2009 • Jennifer Thompson-Cannino was certain that Ronald Cotton was the man who raped her in 1984. But she was wrong. After Cotton spent 11 years in jail, DNA evidence proved his innocence. Now, the two have a friendship based on their belief in forgiveness.

Work Is A Blessing

March 1, 2009 • When he was 12, Russel Honore got his first job helping a neighbor milk 65 dairy cows twice a day. Fifty years later, the retired Army lieutenant general believes hard work helps build character, strengthen communities and promote freedom.

Seeing Beyond Our Differences

February 26, 2009 • Scientist Sheri White says that despite differences in size, shape and color, all humans are 99.9 percent biologically identical. White believes we should embrace our similarities and honor the differences that make each of us unique.

Historical Archives

Reflections on race: essays from the archives.

February 23, 2009 • Dan Gediman, executive producer of NPR's This I Believe, explores the archives of the original series hosted by Edward R. Murrow in the 1950s. He says the essays shed light on the realities of segregation at the dawn of the civil rights movement.

Gediman explores the 'This I Believe' archives.

The magic of letters.

February 15, 2009 • Chameli Waiba was raised in a village in Nepal and didn't attend school as a child. When she finally learned to read as an adult, Waiba discovered the power words could have to change her life, as well as the lives of others in her rural community.

How To Survive Life's Tests

February 9, 2009 • Kendra Jones assigned her students to write This I Believe essays and decided that she owed it to them to write one of her own. Jones believes toughness, steeliness and even meanness have helped her throughout her life.

Our Awareness Controls Human Destiny

February 8, 2009 • In an essay from 1951 for the original This I Believe series, Margaret Mead says she can't separate the beliefs she has as a person from the beliefs she has as an anthropologist. She says that humans have a responsibility for the entire planet.

A Hope For Bettering Humanity

February 1, 2009 • In an essay from 1953 for the original This I Believe series, Sir Charles Galton Darwin, the grandson of naturalist Charles Darwin, drew on his study of science to say he believed the future of humanity depended on the practice of eugenics.

Listening Is Powerful Medicine

February 1, 2009 • It took a scolding from an elderly patient to get Dr. Alicia Conill to look up from her charts and stop to listen. Conill came to understand the value of listening in the treatment process — especially when she herself became the patient.

America's Beauty Is In Its Diversity

January 29, 2009 • In sixth grade, Alaa El-Saad decided to start wearing the hijab , a religious head covering for Muslim women. Despite some trepidation, she found her classmates supported her choice. Now El-Saad believes being different is part of being American.

Thirty Things I Believe

January 18, 2009 • When Tarak McLain's kindergarten group celebrated their 100th day of class, some kids brought 100 nuts or cotton balls. Tarak brought a list of 100 things he believes. Now a first-grader, Tarak shares his top beliefs about God, life, nature and war.

Inviting The World To Dinner

January 12, 2009 • Every Sunday for 30 years, Jim Haynes has welcomed complete strangers into his Paris home for dinner. By introducing people to each other and encouraging them to make personal connections, Haynes believes he can foster greater tolerance in the world.

Pathways Of Desire

January 4, 2009 • Gina Parosa believes in letting her kids, pets and livestock make their own paths in life. But she also realizes that as a farmer and parent, she sometimes has to step in and set good boundaries — while still being flexible enough to change them.

This Is Home

January 1, 2009 • Majora Carter believes you don't have to move out of your old neighborhood to live in a better one. Carter was raised in the South Bronx and spent years trying to leave. But when the city proposed a waste facility there, she was inspired to fight for her community.

Health Is A Human Right

December 21, 2008 • As an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Paul Farmer has traveled the planet to organize and provide medical treatment for people living in poverty. He believes good health care is vital but just the first step in creating a world free of all human suffering.

Always Go to the Funeral

• A 'This I Believe' Essay
• By: Deirdre Sullivan
• Narrated by: Deirdre Sullivan
• Length: 3 mins
• 3.7 out of 5 stars 3.7 (3 ratings)

Failed to add items

Add to cart failed., add to wish list failed., remove from wishlist failed., adding to library failed, follow podcast failed, unfollow podcast failed.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $1.49

No default payment method selected.

We are sorry. we are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method, publisher's summary.

• Series: This I Believe , Book 1: Essay 72
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Categories: Politics & Social Sciences

More from the same

Related to this topic.

The Art of War

By: Sun Tzu

• Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
• Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 40,563
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 33,545
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 33,126

The 13 chapters of The Art of War , each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.

• 5 out of 5 stars

The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary

• By Fred271 on 12-31-19

Under the Bridge

By: Rebecca Godfrey

• Narrated by: Rebecca Godfrey, Erin Moon, Mary Gaitskill - introduction
• Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 148
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 133
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 133

One moonlit night, 14-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. In this “tour de force of crime reportage” ( Kirkus Reviews ), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls - and boy - accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.

Powerful Account of 8 Young Teens Killing Another

• By Mary Burnight on 08-16-19

This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell

By: Marc Fennell

• Narrated by: Marc Fennell
• Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 34
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 32
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 32

This Is Not a Game is the extraordinary untold story of the internet’s first conspiracy theory, the legend of Ong’s Hat. Marc Fennell will dive deep into a previously unexplored world of tech hippies, eccentric web subcultures and simmering paranoia, uncovering how this tongue-in-cheek artistic experiment backfired on its creator and went on to influence much of what’s wrong with the internet today.

• By pondo on 05-09-24

The Daily Stoic

• 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
• By: Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
• Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
• Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 3,117
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,612
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 2,577

Why have history's greatest minds - from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson along with today's top performers, from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities - embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations.

• 2 out of 5 stars

Not well made as audio

• By Andreas on 12-27-16

By: Ryan Holiday , and others

Fingerprints of the Gods

• The Quest Continues

By: Graham Hancock

• Narrated by: Graham Hancock
• Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 8,582
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 7,592
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,551

Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.

• 4 out of 5 stars

Classic in Historical Mysteries

• By Kelly on 09-05-19

Letters from Guantánamo

• By: Mansoor Adayfi, Antonio Aiello
• Narrated by: Mansoor Adayfi, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Elias Khalil, and others
• Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
• Original Recording
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 36
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 36
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 36

In weeks after the September 11 attacks, 18-year-old Mansoor Adayfi was kidnapped by Afghan militia and sold to US forces for bounty money. After months of interrogations, he was sent to the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as one of its first prisoners. Like the nearly 800 other men imprisoned at Guantanamo, Adayfi didn’t know why he was imprisoned or for how long. He had never seen a skyscraper and couldn’t imagine what the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center looked like, much less how they were destroyed.

The truth of it all

• By Kathy Jordan on 05-23-24

By: Mansoor Adayfi , and others

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

• By: Marcus Aurelius, James Harris
• Narrated by: Gregory Allen Siders
• Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 214
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 168
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 168

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. These books have been carefully adapted into modern English form to allow for easy listening. Enjoy!

Best translation

• By Anonymous User on 06-13-19

By: Marcus Aurelius , and others

The Prophet

By: Kahlil Gibran

• Narrated by: Riz Ahmed
• Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,008
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 857
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 855

On the face of it, a simple book of 26 poem fables sharing one man’s wisdom. But The Prophet is so much more than that. It has inspired people from John F Kennedy to The Beatles and became the '60s Bible of counterculture – all because of the timeless truths it shared. Each poem takes a different theme – pleasure, beauty, freedom, joy and sorrow – as the fictional Al Mustapha shares his thoughts and experiences as he prepares to travel back to his island home.

Riz Ahmed's Narraration Is So Moving!

• By Dee Tree on 09-12-21

I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t)

• Telling the Truth about Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power

By: Brené Brown

• Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
• Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,856
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,977
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,920

Based on seven years of ground-breaking research and hundreds of interviews, I Thought It Was Just Me shines a long-overdue light on an important truth: Our imperfections are what connect us to each other and to our humanity. Our vulnerabilities are not weaknesses; they are powerful reminders to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality that we're all in this together.

• 3 out of 5 stars

I'm sure its great if you are a mother ....

• By Leslie A Hill on 08-09-11

The Mastery of Self

• A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom

By: Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.

• Narrated by: Charlie Varon
• Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 4,339
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 3,588
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 3,568

The ancient Toltecs believed that life, as we perceive it, is a dream. We each live in our own personal dream, and these come together to form the dream of the planet, or the world in which we live. Problems arise when our perception of the dream becomes clouded with negativity, drama, and judgment (of ourselves and others), because it's in these moments of suffering that we have forgotten that we are the architects of our own reality and we have the power to change our dream if we choose.

listen.. .then listen again

• By Casiano on 12-22-16

The Complete Book of Five Rings

• By: Miyamoto Musashi, Kenji Tokitsu - editor/translator
• Narrated by: Brian Nishii
• Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,025
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,383
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,357

The Complete Book of Five Rings is an authoritative version of Musashi's classic The Book of Five Rings , translated and annotated by a modern martial arts master, Kenji Tokitsu. Tokitsu has spent most of his life researching the legendary samurai swordsman and his works, and in this book he illuminates this seminal text, along with several other works by Musashi.

Best translation I have encountered.

• By DW on 05-27-16

By: Miyamoto Musashi , and others

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

• As Told to Alex Haley
• By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
• Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
• Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 12,116
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 10,771
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 10,711

Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.

Audible Masterpiece

• By Phoenician on 09-10-20

By: Malcolm X , and others

Eight Dates

• Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
• By: John Gottman PhD, Julie Schwartz Gottman PhD, Doug Abrams, and others
• Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin, Julie McKay
• Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,175
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 965
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 955

Navigating the challenges of long-term commitment takes effort - and it just got simpler, with this empowering, step-by-step guide to communicating about the things that matter most to you and your partner. Drawing on 40 years of research from their world-famous Love Lab, Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman invite couples on eight fun, easy, and profoundly rewarding dates, each one focused on a make-or-break issue: trust, conflict, sex, money, family, adventure, spirituality, and dreams.

• 1 out of 5 stars

What the F. Robot-reader???!?!?!

• By Anonymous User on 01-21-20

By: John Gottman PhD , and others

• How Caffeine Created the Modern World

By: Michael Pollan

• Narrated by: Michael Pollan
• Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 42,298
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 36,443
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 36,275

Michael Pollan, known for his best-selling nonfiction audio, including The Omnivores Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind , conceived and wrote Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World as an Audible Original. In this controversial and exciting listen, Pollan explores caffeine’s power as the most-used drug in the world - and the only one we give to children (in soda pop) as a treat.

Leaves much to be desired

• By Melody H on 02-02-20

Buddhism for Beginners

• By: Thubten Chodron, His Holiness the Dalai Lama - foreword
• Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
• Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,160
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,838
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,818

This user’s guide to Buddhist basics takes the most commonly asked questions - beginning with “What is the essence of the Buddha’s teachings?” - and provides simple answers in plain English. Thubten Chodron’s responses to the questions that always seem to arise among people approaching Buddhism make this an exceptionally complete and accessible introduction - as well as a manual for living a more peaceful, mindful, and satisfying Life.

Amazing introduction to Buddhism

• By chad d on 07-02-15

By: Thubten Chodron , and others

The Ethical Slut

• A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships, & Other Adventures
• By: Janet W. Hardy, Dossie Easton
• Narrated by: Janet W. Hardy, Dossie Easton
• Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,406
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,778
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,750

For anyone who has ever dreamed of love, sex, and companionship beyond the limits of traditional monogamy, this groundbreaking guide navigates the infinite possibilities that open relationships can offer. Experienced ethical sluts Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy dispel myths and cover all the skills necessary to maintain a successful and responsible polyamorous lifestyle.

The information and advice is 100% totally solid!

• By Troy on 07-28-15

By: Janet W. Hardy , and others

The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean

By: M. Doreal

• Narrated by: John Marino
• Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,330
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,125
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,118

The history of the tablets translated in the following book is strange and beyond the belief of modern scientists. Their antiquity is stupendous, dating back some 36,000 years. The writer is Thoth, an Atlantean Priest-King, who founded a colony in ancient Egypt after the sinking of the mother country. He was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, erroneously attributed to Cheops. In it he incorporated his knowledge of the ancient wisdom and also securely secreted records and instruments of ancient Atlantis.

Excellence...

• By Light Worker on 04-21-18

Mythology: Mega Collection

• Classic Stories from the Greek, Celtic, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Chinese, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Mythology

By: Scott Lewis

• Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser, Oliver Hunt
• Length: 31 hrs and 37 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 669
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 584
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 584

Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....

An interesting set of introductions.

• By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19

What listeners say about Always Go to the Funeral

• 3.5 out of 5 stars 3.7 out of 5.0
• 5 out of 5 stars 5.0 out of 5.0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews, amazon reviews, please sign in to report this content.

You'll still be able to report anonymously.

• Politics & Social Sciences
• Social Sciences

Enjoy a free trial on us P.when("A", "a-expander", "ready").execute(function(A, expander) { A.on("a:accordion:buybox-accordion:select", function(data) { // Change active accordion pricing to APEX pricing A.$("#buyBoxAccordion").find(".accordion-header div#adbl_bb_price") .removeClass("adbl_bb_price_show").addClass("adbl_bb_price_hide"); A.$(data.selectedRow.$row).find(".accordion-header div#adbl_bb_price") .removeClass("adbl_bb_price_hide").addClass("adbl_bb_price_show"); //initialize accordion expander expander.initializeExpanders(); }); }); /* Display price in a table block so it does not overflow, ref: https://t.corp.amazon.com/D76383263 */ #adbl_bb_price { display: table; } /* APEX Pricing for Mobile & MobileApp */ .adbl_bb_price_show .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 36px; font-weight: 300; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; } .adbl_bb_pay_price { font-weight: 400; } .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-whole { font-size: 38px; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-whole { font-size: 24px; } .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: table-caption; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 26px; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: table-caption; font-size: 13px !important; line-height: 10px; } #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; top: -15px !important; } #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; } #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; top: -15px !important; } #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; } /* APEX Pricing for Desktop */ #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 21px; font-weight: 300; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_pay_price { font-weight: 400; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-whole { font-size: 28px; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-whole { font-size: 21px; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block; font-size: 13px !important; line-height: 16px; top:-10px !important; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block; font-size: 12px !important; line-height: 9px; } $0.00 $ 0 . 00

• Click above for unlimited listening to select audiobooks, Audible Originals, and podcasts.
• One credit a month to pick any title from our entire premium selection — yours to keep (you'll use your first credit now).
• You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
• $14.95 $14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel online anytime.

Buy P.when("A", "a-expander", "ready").execute(function(A, expander) { A.on("a:accordion:buybox-accordion:select", function(data) { // Change active accordion pricing to APEX pricing A.$("#buyBoxAccordion").find(".accordion-header div#adbl_bb_price") .removeClass("adbl_bb_price_show").addClass("adbl_bb_price_hide"); A.$(data.selectedRow.$row).find(".accordion-header div#adbl_bb_price") .removeClass("adbl_bb_price_hide").addClass("adbl_bb_price_show"); //initialize accordion expander expander.initializeExpanders(); }); }); /* Display price in a table block so it does not overflow, ref: https://t.corp.amazon.com/D76383263 */ #adbl_bb_price { display: table; } /* APEX Pricing for Mobile & MobileApp */ .adbl_bb_price_show .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 36px; font-weight: 300; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; } .adbl_bb_pay_price { font-weight: 400; } .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-whole { font-size: 38px; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-whole { font-size: 24px; } .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: table-caption; font-size: 15px !important; line-height: 26px; } .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: table-caption; font-size: 13px !important; line-height: 10px; } #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; top: -15px !important; } #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #mobile_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; } #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; top: -15px !important; } #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #mobileapp_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block !important; } /* APEX Pricing for Desktop */ #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 300; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .adbl_bb_savings_percent { color: #CC0C39; font-size: 21px; font-weight: 300; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_pay_price { font-weight: 400; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-whole { font-size: 28px; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-whole { font-size: 21px; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-symbol, #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_show .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block; font-size: 13px !important; line-height: 16px; top:-10px !important; } #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-symbol, #desktop_buybox .adbl_bb_price_hide .a-price-fraction { display: inline-block; font-size: 12px !important; line-height: 9px; } -13% $1.30 $ 1 . 30

Always go to the funeral: a 'this i believe' essay audible audiobook – unabridged.

• Listening Length 3 minutes
• Author Deirdre Sullivan
• Narrator Deirdre Sullivan
• Audible release date October 3, 2007
• Language English
• Publisher Macmillan Audio
• ASIN B000WS9ZG0
• Version Unabridged
• Program Type Audiobook
• See all details

Related to this topic

Books In This Series

Only from Audible

Product details

Customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

No customer reviews

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us!

Internet Archive Audio

• This Just In
• Grateful Dead
• Old Time Radio
• 78 RPMs and Cylinder Recordings
• Audio Books & Poetry
• Computers, Technology and Science
• Music, Arts & Culture
• News & Public Affairs
• Spirituality & Religion
• Radio News Archive

• Flickr Commons
• Occupy Wall Street Flickr
• NASA Images
• Solar System Collection
• Ames Research Center

• All Software
• Old School Emulation
• MS-DOS Games
• Historical Software
• Classic PC Games
• Software Library
• Kodi Archive and Support File
• Vintage Software
• CD-ROM Software
• CD-ROM Software Library
• Software Sites
• Tucows Software Library
• Shareware CD-ROMs
• Software Capsules Compilation
• CD-ROM Images
• ZX Spectrum
• DOOM Level CD

• Smithsonian Libraries
• FEDLINK (US)
• Lincoln Collection
• American Libraries
• Canadian Libraries
• Universal Library
• Project Gutenberg
• Children's Library
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• Books by Language
• Additional Collections

• Prelinger Archives
• Democracy Now!
• Occupy Wall Street
• TV NSA Clip Library
• Animation & Cartoons
• Arts & Music
• Computers & Technology
• Cultural & Academic Films
• Ephemeral Films
• Sports Videos
• Videogame Videos
• Youth Media

Search the history of over 866 billion web pages on the Internet.

Mobile Apps

• Wayback Machine (iOS)
• Wayback Machine (Android)

Browser Extensions

Archive-it subscription.

• Explore the Collections
• Build Collections

Save Page Now

Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future.

Please enter a valid web address

• Donate Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape

This I believe : the personal philosophies of remarkable men and women

Bookreader item preview, share or embed this item, flag this item for.

• Graphic Violence
• Explicit Sexual Content
• Hate Speech
• Misinformation/Disinformation
• Marketing/Phishing/Advertising
• Misleading/Inaccurate/Missing Metadata

plus-circle Add Review comment Reviews

3,816 Views

71 Favorites

Better World Books

DOWNLOAD OPTIONS

No suitable files to display here.

IN COLLECTIONS

Uploaded by Lotu Tii on December 13, 2011

SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

Plot Summary? We’re just getting started.

Add this title to our requested Study Guides list!

This I Believe

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006

Plot Summary

• “Be cool to the pizza dude,” by Sarah Adams
• “Leaving identity issues to other folks,” by Phyllis Allen
• “In giving I connect with others,” by Isabel Allende
• “Remembering all the boys,” by Elvia Bautista
• “The mountain disappears,” by Leonard Bernstein
• “How is it possible to believe in God?” by William F. Buckley Jr.
• “The fellowship of the world,” by Niven Busch
• “There is no job more important than parenting,” by Benjamin Carson
• “A journey toward acceptance and love,” by Greg Chapman
• “A shared moment of trust,” by Warren Christopher
• “The hardest work you will ever do,” by Mary Cook
• “Good can be as communicable as evil,” by Norman Corwin
• “A daily walk just to listen,” by Susan Cosio
• “The elusive yet holy core,” by Kathy Dahlen
• “My father’s evening star,” by William O. Douglas
• “An honest doubter: Have I learned anything important since I was sixteen?” by Elizabeth Deutsch Earle
• “An ideal of service to our fellow man,” by Albert Einstein
• “The power and mystery of naming things,” by Eve Ensler
• “A goal of service to humankind,” by Anthony Fauci
• “The God who embraced me,” by John W. Fountain
• “Unleashing the power of creativity,” by Bill Gates
• “The people who love you when no one else will,” by Cecile Gilmer
• “The willingness to work for solutions,” by Newt Gingrich
• “The connection between strangers,” by Miles Goodwin
• “An athlete of God,” by Martha Graham
• “Seeing in beautiful, precise pictures,” by Temple Grandin
• “Disrupting my comfort zone,” by Brian Grazer
• “Science nourishes the mind and the soul,” by Brian Greene
• “In praise of the ‘Wobblies’,” by Ted Gup
• “The power of presence,” by Debbie Hall
• “A grown-up Barbie,” by Jane Hamill
• “Happy talk,” by Oscar Hammerstein II
• “Natural links in a long chain of being,” by Victor Hanson
• “Talking with the sun,” by Joy Harjo
• “A morning prayer in a little church,” by Helen Hayes
• “Our noble, essential decency,” by Robert A. Heinlein
• “A new birth of freedom,” by Maximillan Hodder
• “The benefits of restlessness and jagged edges,” by Kay Redfield Jamison
• “There is no God,” by Penn Jillette
• “A duty to heal,” by Pius Kamau
• “Living life with ‘Grace and elegant treeness’,” by Ruth Kamps
• “The light of a brighter day,” by Helen Keller
• “The bright lights of freedom,” by Harold Hongju Koh
• “The power of love to transform and heal,” by Jackie Lantry
• “The power of mysteries,” by Alan Lightman
• “Life grows in the soil of time,” by Thomas Mann
• “Why I close my restaurant,” by George Mardikian
• “The virtues of the quiet hero,” by John McCain
• “The joy and enthusiasm of reading,” by Rick Moody
• “There is such a thing as truth,” by Errol Morris
• “The rule of law,” by Michael Mullane
• “Getting angry can be a good thing,” by Cecilia Muñoz
• “Mysterious connections that link us together,” by Azar Nafisi
• “The making of poems,” by Gregory Orr
• “We are each other’s business,” by Eboo Patel
• “The 50-percent theory of life,” by Steve Porter
• “The America I believe in,” by Colin Powell
• “The real consequences of justice,” by Frederic Reamer
• “There is more to life than my life,” by Jamaica Ritcher
• “Tomorrow will be a better day,” by Josh Rittenberg
• “Free minds and hearts at work,” by Jackie Robinson
• “Growth that starts from thinking,” by Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The artistry in hidden talents,” by Mel Rusnov
• “My fellow worms,” by Carl Sandburg
• “When children are wanted,” by Margaret Sanger
• “Jazz is the sound of God laughing,” by Colleen Shaddox
• “There is no such thing as too much barbecue,” by Jason Sheehan
• “The people have spoken,” by Mark shields
• “Everything potent is dangerous,” by Wallace Stegner
• “A balance between nature and nurture,” by Gloria Steinem
• “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” by Andrew Sullivan
• “Always go to the funeral,” by Deirdre Sullivan
• “Finding prosperity by feeding monkeys,” by Harold Taw
• “I agree with a pagan,” by Arnold Toynbee
• “Testing the limits of what I know and feel,” by John Updike
• “How do you believe in a mystery?” by Loudon Wainwright III
• “Creative solutions to life’s challenges,” by Frank X. Walker
• “Goodness doesn’t just happen,” by Rebecca West
• “When ordinary people achieve extraordinary things,” by Jody Williams

Continue your reading experience

SuperSummary Plot Summaries provide a quick, full synopsis of a text. But SuperSummary Study Guides — available only to subscribers — provide so much more!

Join now to access our Study Guides library, which offers chapter-by-chapter summaries and comprehensive analysis on more than 5,000 literary works from novels to nonfiction to poetry.

See for yourself. Check out our sample guides:

Toni Morrison

Malcolm Gladwell

David And Goliath

D. H. Lawrence

Whales Weep Not!

A SuperSummary Plot Summary provides a quick, full synopsis of a text.

A SuperSummary Study Guide — a modern alternative to Sparknotes & CliffsNotes — provides so much more, including chapter-by-chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and important quotes.

See the difference for yourself. Check out this sample Study Guide:

Elie Wiesel's 'This I Believe': A God who remembers

I remember, May 1944: I was 15-and-a-half, and I was thrown into a haunted universe where the story of the human adventure seemed to swing irrevocably between horror and malediction. I remember, I remember because I was there with my father. I was still living with him there. We worked together. We returned to the camp together. We stayed in the same block. We slept in the same box. We shared bread and soup. Never were we so close to one another.

We talked a lot to each other, especially in the evenings, but never of death. I believed — I hoped — that I would not survive him, not even for one day. Without saying it to him, I thought I was the last of our line. With him, our past would die; with me, our future.

The moment the war ended, I believed — we all did — that anyone who survived death must bear witness. Some of us even believed that they survived in order to become witnesses. But then I knew deep down that it would be impossible to communicate the entire story. Nobody can. I personally decided to wait, to see during 10 years if I would be capable to find the proper words, the proper pace, the proper melody or maybe even the proper silence to describe the ineffable.

For in my tradition, as a Jew, I believe that whatever we receive we must share. When we endure an experience, the experience cannot stay with me alone. It must be opened, it must become an offering, it must be deepened and given and shared. And of course I am afraid that memories suppressed could come back with a fury, which is dangerous to all human beings, not only to those who directly were participants but to people everywhere, to the world, for everyone. So, therefore, those memories that are discarded, shamed, somehow they may come back in different ways — disguised, perhaps seeking another outlet.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Granted, our task is to inform. But information must be transformed into knowledge, knowledge into sensitivity and sensitivity into commitment.

How can we therefore speak, unless we believe that our words have meaning, that our words will help others to prevent my past from becoming another person's — another peoples' — future. Yes, our stories are essential — essential to memory. I believe that the witnesses, especially the survivors, have the most important role. They can simply say, in the words of the prophet, "I was there."

What is a witness if not someone who has a tale to tell and lives only with one haunting desire: to tell it. Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.

After all, God is God because he remembers.

Independently produced for All Things Considered by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman with John Gregory and Viki Merrick. Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Carolyn Hax: Is it hypocrisy to attend funeral of sibling with an abusive past?

Dear Carolyn: I have a sibling who did some pretty bad things to me growing up. Stole money from me, told many lies to friends about me and my other siblings, all to probably build up his own self-esteem and tell an interesting story to his friends that made him look good. For that reason, we were never very close but were cordial at our few-and-far-between family events.

He is now very ill. When the time comes, do I go to the funeral, or would that make me a hypocrite? It will be awkward since most of his family is aware of the situation with our relationship, but not in detail. Not sure what to do, and any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

— Struggling Sibling

Struggling Sibling: If funeral attendance hinged on having a recent, close, functional relationship with the deceased, then a lot of us would be escorting ourselves to the beyond.

I actually mean this as encouragement. People are messy and complicated. If we want to honor a life, then we need a better reason than its messiness to keep us from doing that.

If the deceased matters to you, if someone close to the deceased matters to you or if someone close to you mattered to the deceased, and if you’re able and willing to go, and suspect you’ll regret not going, then go.

How his family will feel about your being there is a valid point to consider; you don’t want to muscle past your ambivalence about attending just to antagonize the family. But that’s for high-level wrongdoing and feuding, not childhood resentments that have long since settled into “cordial” avoidance. With those, showing up is the generous act. The Aug. 8, 2005, “ This I Believe ” essay on NPR explains why better than I can.

Your brother did his worst while you were still kids, if I read you correctly. He’s grown now, you’re grown, too, and he’s ill. Maybe the real struggle is not how to handle the funeral, but how to put a difficult relationship emotionally to rest before you ever thought you’d have to?

I don’t mean to overstep, and I don’t have an opinion myself about what you do. I suggest only that if you have any impulse at all toward an attempt to make peace with him, act on it now. Don’t waste time trying to reason it out.

Hello, Carolyn: When did it become fashionable to not apologize? There have been two times in the recent past when I have been wronged blatantly, and no apology has been forthcoming.

When you’ve been attacked, what do you do? You pull back. You lick your wounds and wait for an apology to make everything right so you can renew your relationship.

So what happens when that apology doesn’t happen? I know it’s hard to admit you’ve hurt someone. But not apologizing only serves to compound the pain. I find myself not only hurt but severely disappointed in these people. I still love them, but I don’t want to, and I wish I didn’t because it would be so much easier.

The older you get and the more this happens, the more you question if you are too sensitive, or if they are just not worth it. And I have to force myself to steer clear of them, which goes against my natural inclination to love.

When I was younger, I noticed that when people in my mother’s generation got older, their worlds shrank and they didn’t socialize as much. And I always wondered why. Is it the accumulation of all these insults and injuries that were never resolved?

L.: If they’re all just sitting home feeling wounded and waiting for apologies, then that could explain the social die-off.

But it’s the waiting that mystifies me, not the lack of apologies.

People often fail to apologize because they don’t know they need to. You say you were “wronged blatantly” and “attacked” as if there’s such thing as a universal, objective scorekeeping service to which we all subscribe. But all we have is perception.

That means your two friends could be waiting right now for their apologies from you.

If your modus operandi upon taking offense is to cease all communication until you’re made whole, then you have no idea what anyone else is thinking or why.

Next time you feel wronged, do whatever wound-tending you feel is necessary, then get back out there: “I’ve thought a lot about our argument,” you say to your perceived attacker. “When you said/did X, that really hurt.” Find out whether it’s even possible to agree on what happened, then figure out who owes what to whom.

Getting through that conversation with courage and a mind open to your friend’s perspective, and without making rash accusations (“You always … !” “You never … !”) or losing your cool, is the path to understanding — which is more effective than an apology at getting friendships back on their feet. The ones worth saving, at least. Not worth it: people who simply will not admit fault.

Kerry Kennedy Leads ‘Heart-Wrenching’ Campaign Against Her Brother’s White House Bid

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sister has become the face of the Kennedy family effort to block his candidacy and re-elect President Biden. She has more at stake besides her relationship with her brother.

• Share full article

By Adam Nagourney

When members of the Kennedy family joined President Biden in Philadelphia to endorse his re-election — and denounce the presidential candidacy of the best-known Kennedy of this generation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — one person stepped forward to make the family’s case: his younger sister Kerry.

“Nearly every single grandchild of Joe and Rose Kennedy supports Joe Biden,” Ms. Kennedy said as her siblings, and Mr. Biden, flanked her onstage. “That’s right: The Kennedy family endorses Joe Biden for president.”

That was not the first time that Ms. Kennedy, the seventh child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, had been the face of the family’s pushback against her brother. As Mr. Kennedy has emerged as a skeptic of Covid-19 vaccines and a purveyor of conspiratorial theories on the assassination of his father, it has fallen to Ms. Kennedy to distance her family from the brother she has long held close and to guard the legacy of a proud and private family as it fades from the political stage.

To a large extent, Ms. Kennedy’s siblings say, her outsize role is an outgrowth of the affection she has displayed toward her brother since they were children playing on the grounds of the family estate in Hickory Hill, Va. — and the disappointment she feels now. It is political as well: She argues that her brother’s insurgent campaign threatens the re-election of Mr. Biden and is aware that her family could shoulder some of the blame should Donald J. Trump return to the White House next year.

“I love Bobby,” she said in an interview. “It’s heart-wrenching to be in this position.”

But Kerry Kennedy’s decision to help lead an inevitably awkward effort against a family member also reflects her concern about the legacy of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights , the organization founded upon her father’s death in 1968 that she has led for 15 years.

As its president, she has championed causes that reflected her father’s work: international human rights, fighting against disparities in health care and advocating for immigrants. In some cases, the positions that have been embraced by her brother, particularly his opposition to Covid vaccination, have run directly counter to the mission of the organization.

“Kerry feels a special burden with his candidacy — a burden that impacts her work in a negative way,” said Christopher G. Kennedy, one of their brothers. “She has supported hundreds of human rights activists around the world. Her abilities would be diminished if the Kennedy name is associated with fringe thinking, crackpot ideas and unsound judgment.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declined to comment on his sister’s role in the Biden campaign. “I think I’ll stay out of this controversy,” he said in a text message.

It has been 56 years since Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. But Ms. Kennedy, 64, said that many people, particularly younger generations, no longer distinguished between a father and a son who share the same name.

“Anybody can go look at the responses on my X feed or Instagram and see there’s a lot of confusion out there,” she said in the interview. “I have been compelled to clarify when the organization differs on issues such as the safety of vaccines, the role of H.I.V. in causing AIDS, the reason people are transgender and the role of platforms curbing disinformation, to name a few.”

Ms. Kennedy’s view on the potential impact of her brother’s candidacy is not shared across the family. “I think the mistake the media makes is to think that his appeal to people is solely based on his relationship to our family,” said Douglas H. Kennedy, another of their brothers, who has not joined his siblings in the pushback because, he said, of his work as a correspondent on Fox News. “I believe his followers are unaffected by his siblings’ or cousins’ concerns. His supporters believe in his message. I don’t think people coming out against him will have a great effect on that support.”

The Biden campaign disagrees. It is moving to deploy Ms. Kennedy, as well as other family members, in swing states in the coming months if her brother continues to make it onto ballots. “I’ve told the Biden campaign that I’ll campaign wherever they want me to go,” she said.

Biden campaign officials said their polling showed that many people do not know much about Mr. Kennedy or what he stands for, and that Kennedy family members are particularly effective at filling in the gaps.

“ We’re honored to have the Kennedys’ support, and we look forward to working with them to spread the message on the campaign trail about how the president is carrying on the Kennedy legacy,” Lauren Hitt, a campaign spokeswoman, said.

Ms. Kennedy is no stranger to being in the spotlight. Her marriage to Andrew M. Cuomo in 1990, before he was elected governor of New York, was a merger of two of the nation’s most famous political families. It took place in the church in Washington, D.C., where John F. Kennedy’s funeral was held in 1963 as camera crews and photographers waited outside. That union ended in divorce 15 years later, the details of the breakup strewn across the tabloids. She never remarried.

Seven years after the end of the marriage, Ms. Kennedy was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence in northern Westchester County, N.Y. She said she had mistakenly taken a single sleeping pill before entering her car. A jury took less than an hour to find her not guilty, but the case made her life tabloid fodder once again.

Ms. Kennedy endured but largely stayed out of the public spotlight — unlike recently.

Her earnest appeal for Mr. Biden — the timbre of her voice familiar to anyone who watched her father or uncle — has offered a contrast to a series of mocking Instagram posts by John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, 31, in which he employs a variety of accents to belittle his cousin as disingenuous and unintelligent.

On social media, Ms. Kennedy’s posts include clips of her father’s speeches, odes to human rights leaders such as John Lewis and tributes to her 96-year-old mother. (“Mummy is a masterclass in championing the rights of others,” she wrote recently.) Ms. Kennedy said she had not spoken to Mr. Schlossberg about his posts.

Ms. Kennedy now finds herself riding the crest of what is an unusual moment for a family that prides itself on keeping internal dissent out of the public eye.

“They’ve always learned from J.F.K.’s generation that you keep all the bad things that are inside the family inside the family,” said Laurence Leamer, who has written a series of books on the Kennedy family. “That is ending here.”

But through it all, the family has sought to stick together. “This is not against Bobby — this is for Biden,” said Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, an older sister. “We’ve been for Biden a long time.”

Kerry Kennedy, said she still saw her brother at family events, including at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. “Bobby was up to the Cape a few times last summer,” she said. “We were both in Aspen on vacation and sitting around the lunch table. We send texts — we have a family text exchange — so there’s back and forth. But he’s not calling me for my advice.”

Christopher Kennedy said he frequently shared his concerns with his brother about what he was doing. “People confront me at the grocery store — ‘Why are you letting your brother get away with this?’” he said. “I think we will all get blamed if Bobby causes this outcome to occur.”

“I would say that, like all true believers, he is unreachable,” he said. “That hardening of the shell has definitely occurred.”

Ms. Kennedy said she was resigned to the fact that her brother was pushing on through the election and even suggested that she had come to accept — or at least understand — this latest campaign by a Kennedy.

“In the end, why is he out there doing this?” she said. “For the same reason I’m out there. Because we both believe the stakes are high.”

Adam Nagourney is a national political reporter for The Times, covering the 2024 campaign. More about Adam Nagourney

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race: News and Analysis

President Biden’s campaign released a new advertisement aimed at Black voters . It comes as Donald Trump railed against Biden and the migrant crisis at a rally in the Bronx , the latest in a series of stops campaigning in New York City  in a push to win his home state.

Trump has baselessly and publicly cast doubt about the fairness  of the 2024 election about once a day, on average, a significant escalation since he announced his candidacy for president.

A state dinner held in honor of Kenya, with Barack Obama as a surprise guest , was more about keeping Democratic allies close as campaign season intensifies. Here is the full guest list .

Trump praised Nikki Haley , once his bitter rival for the Republican nomination, a day after she said that she would vote for him , opening the door to bringing Haley into his circle.

Special Legislative Session:  Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio has called a special session to resolve an issue  that would prevent Biden from being placed on the November ballot there.

Protest Zone Clash:  The Republican National Committee, alarmed by what it sees as a significantly worsening security threat, asked that the director of the Secret Service intervene  and move a designated protest zone farther away at an upcoming convention.

A.I.’s Role:  The era of A.I. has officially arrived on the campaign trail. But so far, the political uses of the much-anticipated, and feared, technology are more theoretical than transformational .