Family had been an essential escape in the five-and-a-half years I had been vice president; being with them was like flying in the eye of a storm – a reminder of the natural ease and rhythms of our previous life, and of the calm to come when my time in office was done.”
-- Narration (The Author)  (Chapter 1 – “Biden Family Thanksgiving”)

Importance: This quote introduces one of the book's most significant thematic elements - the author's exploration of, and commentary on, the importance of his family, both on occasions when there is particular need for connection and support and in general, day to day life.

I kept seeing the little ‘Forever Wild’ house, undermined by the powerful indifference of nature and the inevitability of time, no longer able to hold its ground … no Thanksgiving would ever be quite the same.
-- Narration (The Author) (Chapter 1 – “Biden Family Thanksgiving”)

Importance: The "Forever Wild" house in Nantucket was regularly visited by the Biden family on their Thanksgiving vacations, becoming part of...