Charles Rangel: “I have found a long time ago at my age that the best way to handle losses like this is to take a deep breath and to…”

“I have found a long time ago at my age that the best way to handle losses like this is to take a deep breath and to thank God that you were so privileged in knowing such a great guy. I lost a brother, and I manage every day to wrestle with the problem in realizing how many people just never had a brother to love and to care for and to be with. So even though I miss him, it eases the pain to know that I knew him. With Joe, I remember once many years ago I was at the prayer meeting and it was my turn to tell the people just how wonderful I was and all of the hardships that I had, and he came to me in feigned resentment. I said what did I say wrong? He said, you stole my story. I am on next week. Next week, he told the same story. It was not black. It was Irish. It was not the Army. It was the Navy. It was not a hotel. It was a bar. But when he got here, he felt so satisfied not with the rough times that he had but with his dedication in trying to make certain that other people had the opportunity to come from our background, to be members of this wonderful body and to try to make it possible for someone else to be able to say, yes, I am from the old neighborhood and I am trying to make it easier for them.”