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Joe and Jill Biden trend after Thanksgiving op-ed about 'healing together': 'This is what we have missed'

The soon-to-be-first couple thanked front-line health care workers, educators, and researchers in their op-ed published on CNN

President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, began trending on Twitter after the pair wrote an op-ed, published on Thursday, November 26, wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving - in a trying year that will see many staying apart from their families because of the pandemic. The soon-to-be-first couple thanked front-line health care workers, educators, and researchers in their op-ed for CNN.

"This year, our turkey will be smaller and the clatter of cooking a little quieter. There will be no family walks in the cold or playful bickering amongst the grandkids. Like millions of Americans, we are temporarily letting go of the traditions we can't do safely,” they wrote in the article. "It is not a small sacrifice. These moments with our loved ones — time that's lost — can't be returned. Yet, we know it's the price of protecting each other and one we don't pay alone. Isolated in our own dining rooms and kitchens, scattered from coast to coast, we are healing together," the Bidens stated.

Shortly after the publication of their op-ed, several social media users took to Twitter to state that they had missed statements and speeches like the Bidens' from the presidential office. One user wrote: "THIS is what we have missed for four long chaotic and for many sad years - thank you @JoeBiden and @DrBiden." Another wrote: "What an amazing president. What a lovely speech. I have missed this kind of talks so much that bring tears to my eyes. I do feel @JoeBiden & @DrBiden. God bless you and your family." A third added: "Leading by example, ⁦@JoeBiden and ⁦@DrBiden set the perfect tone for this Thanksgiving Day. In the midst of great pain and sacrifice, we still have so much for which we should feel thankful. We each can ensure better days lie ahead."

The president-elect, had also given a Thanksgiving address on Wednesday, November 25, urging the country to unite in its fight against the pandemic. He said: "I know the country has grown weary of the fight, but we need to remember, we're at war with a virus, not with one another. Not with each other." 

The same message resonated in the Bidens op-ed, where they told Americans that despite the pandemic this year, their "family will hold on to our most important tradition: taking a moment to count the many reasons we have to be grateful. We are grateful for the American spirit of our people, who do not cower in the face of crisis and hardship but instead come together to lift up one another. ... Most of all, we are grateful for the faith and trust we have been given to continue serving this beautiful, brave, complicated nation as your future President and first lady."

"This year of loss has revealed our collective strength. It has shown us that our lives are connected in ways unseen — that we can be apart without being alone,” they continued. "May the emptiness at our tables and in our hearts be filled with memories of love and laughter. May we cherish our traditions, even when they are out of reach, and hold on to the hope of what's still to come. We're going to get through this together, even if we have to be apart. Happy Thanksgiving, from the Biden family to yours," the Bidens concluded.