*The recurrent machinations and misgivings of the last few weeks have had me desperately searching for that silver lining in the massive cloud that has overshadowed the country’s mental landscape.
As the Thanksgiving season is upon us, I was moved to express my gratitude for the coolest and most incredible 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama. When I re-read it and then signed my name … I forwarded the enclosed letter to his attention at the White House. It made me feel so much better; I hope it does the same for you:
Chris Jones
Address
Address
Los Angeles, CA.
Dear Mr. President,
“It was the best of times … it was the worst of times”; however, this time, it was about multiple cities of the same country … ours.
Personal manager of jazz artists, Anne Marie Wilkins in Cambridge, MA, was the first to sing your praises and strongly advised that I go to your website while you were a community organizer in Chicago. I have applauded her instructions ever since.
Having met you briefly at a book signing for “Audacity of Hope” here in Los Angeles, I recall a security officer approaching me while insisting that I move along as you and I were chatting. You looked up; offered him your now signature smile and politely asked, “And can’t you see that we are talking? Thank you.” Some life experiences are simply unforgettable. You, along with your undeniably wonderful wife, have been the true and necessary beacons of not only hope and understanding, but the embodiment of the initial intentions of the founding fathers of this still great nation.
For almost eight years, I have monitored the mayhem you incurred and the brilliance and the forbearance by which you transitioned it to less chaos with more compassion and accomplishment. Conversely, I have been saddened by the contrived rebuttals, most of which were steeped in envy, ignorance and bigotry, towards your most undaunted achievements. Commensurate to all that you have done and attempted, you steadfastly remained focused and committed to the good of the people … all of them. In the words of a close friend and equally avowed supporter: “Through it all, 44 always kept it at 55.” You not only know the laws, you II lived by them with optimism and with a vision that, collectively, we could make them even better.
While you, Michelle, Sasha and Malia prepare to depart from a residence where you have successfully restored its meaningfulness and honor, I celebrate your leadership by example and your courage by all means. Your humility and your humanity will serve as models for me, for my daughter and for her soon-to-be born son.
As I have truly come to appreciate and love you and yours as a viable part of my own family, I felt compelled to include a photo I had printed on a tee shirt. It is what I wore at Mile High Stadium in Denver, August 28, 2008, while thousands of us there and millions more around the world watched, reveled and prayed with you as the Democratic Party was officially informed that you accepted its nomination to become our next President. As always, you kept your word. That which is emblazoned on the shirt is what I believed then … and what will continue to remain in my heart for the rest of my life.
Your absence from the Oval Office will be like the omission of the North Star from our galaxy. The light just won’t be the same. With tears in my eyes and a smile all over my face, I am now standing as I salute and thank you for all that you have done and more so, for all that you are … and have helped others to become.
Most Respectfully,
A Grateful Citizen, A Proud Democrat,
Chris Jones.
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