An Open Letter to President Obama offmychest

Paging /u/PresidentObama (in case he's browsing reddit, lol)

Dear President Obama,

There is one week left of your presidency. I've been doing a bit of reflecting, and I'd like to thank you. Before I do, some history.

I grew up just outside of our nation's capitol. My parents were a mixed marriage - he a life-long Republican, she a committed Democrat. My dad affectionately called me his "little bleeding heart liberal" throughout my childhood. Despite our proximity to DC, my parents simply didn't talk about politics together, but they had (and have) one of the strongest marriages I've seen.

In 2005, I started to date the man I would marry. We both fell hard and fast. A few weeks into the relationship, I noticed an "I Voted" sticker on his refrigerator, onto which he had hand-written, "for Bush!"

Uh oh.

On a call with my best friend later that evening, she asked how the relationship was progressing. I told her it was wonderful, but that I had discovered something... sub-optimal. She asked if he was married? No.

Gay?

"No, he's not gay".

...she paused a beat and then realized:

"Oh my god, he's a Republican".

"Yeeaahhhh."

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO??????"

"I'm going to do the same thing my parents do, and just not talk about it."

.....

We were married in 2006, and until 2007, we just didn't talk about it. He informed me at some point that he was apathetic about voting at all. I asked him please - even if your vote cancels mine out, just vote. It's your civic duty.

A few weeks later he mentioned he would be giving his mother a ride to the library so that she could vote early. He then said, "I think I'll go ahead and vote too." Huzzah! I was happy that he had changed his mind.

"For Obama", he then drops, oh-so-casually.

I fell in love with him all over again on that random Tuesday evening.

.....

We stayed up most of the night to watch the results on November 4, 2008. We colored in an electoral college map with red and blue crayons and cried with joy and high-fived when it was official. We came to DC for your inauguration and wore the wrong shoes and nearly froze to death. Later that evening, we thawed out at a bar in Adams Morgan and cheered at the television and took jello shots, and we felt that things were right with the world. We were so very, very proud to have you as our President.

.....

My parents got more into politics after retirement. They listened to On Point and Talk of the Nation on NPR, and loved The Political Junkie. Early on, Mom was for Hillary, and Dad was pulling for Rubio. We all agreed Trump was a joke, but the joke became less and less funny as time passed. I don't have to tell you how that ended up. What I will tell you is this: I have never been so proud of my father as the day he called and told me he voted early - for Hillary.

.....

So, Mr. President:

Thank you for the past eight years. Thank you for being the embodiment of grace, good humor, and professionalism. Thank you for being inclusive, and fighting for those who for whatever reason, might need help fighting for themselves. Thank you for showing people all over our country and the world what being a passionate and compassionate leader really looks like. Thank you for raising your girls to be amazing young women - the kind a new generation of girls can look up to and KNOW that they have just as much worth as the boys. Thank you and The First Lady for being a shining example of a respectful, lovely marriage, and thank you and Mr. Biden for giving us a peek into a beautiful friendship.

Thank you for helping to inspire the two most important men in my life to be better, more compassionate people.

Thank you for everything. I will miss you so very much.

Submitted January 14, 2017 at 05:55AM by pannonica http://ift.tt/2iRyLGe offmychest