IT was President Barack Obama who welcomed me and my family when we took our oaths as new citizens of the United States of America in 2012. It was during his presidency when I first exercised my sacred right and duty as an adopted daughter of America.
I have followed President Obama’s rise to the highest post in the land — watched him evolve from being a candidate up until he was catapulted to be the most powerful leader in the world. I have also watched his family — First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters Sasha and Malia during the eight years that they were in the White House.
You may not believe in his policy and ideology. You may not agree with all his decisions, initiatives and actions. But looking past the prism of contentious and dirty tactics of politics, I hope you also find in you the respect and even admiration for the man.
THANK YOU, President Barack Obama, for being the leader who my children can emulate in the way you carried your self with decency, integrity, humility, dignity, and respect for all human beings.
THANK YOU for living a life that exemplifies that thirst for the truth, for learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
THANK YOU for walking the talk when you teach my family about how America is a nation that is strengthened by immigrants like us, welcoming us to this exceptional country with your policies that affirm the very principle held scared by the Constitution — equal opportunities and equal rights for all regardless of the color of our skin, where we came from, our age, educational attainment, economic status, religion, our gender, whom we choose to love — for as long as we do our part in respecting and obeying the law, and giving our fair share for the good of the nation.
THANK YOU for showing us what the audacity of hope really is in the way you governed the country, amid all the criticisms and obstructionism from your political distractors. You ran your race in the best way you can with grace, faith in God and in the goodness and value of every person. You fought hard so that those who have been blessed may be inspired and motivated to reach out and help those who are in need, marginalized, and neglected by society because you believe we are all on this journey together.
THANK YOU, President Barack Obama for your service to the country. I know you will continue fighting for us. I know you will continue to inspire us. Your legacy will live on in all of us as we do our part in giving back to this nation, to the world, to this planet as you have shown us in the past eight years.
May God bless you and your beautiful family as you start a new chapter in your life as a private citizen..
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
