When Barack and Michelle Said Goodbye

There are many wonderful things I could say about Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech in St. Paul, Minn. However, I want to talk about a moment most people probably didn't even notice, an exchange between Barack and Michelle that was so quick, yet I believe to be the most important moment of Barack's entire time on the stage.

Barack had just finished talking to the enthusiastic and happy crowd. Everyone was cheering wildly and he was waving and thanking everyone. Michelle then gracefully walked on stage to join Barack. Arm in arm, they both turned to the crowd with grateful waves. Then, Barack turned away from the crowd and looked right at Michelle.

With a loving smile, Barack's lips said to her, "Thank you." He hugged her and then he pulled back and again said to her, "Thank you." They stood looking at each other with an eye-to-eye gaze that seemed to drown out everything around them, allowing them to be silently together for a few, final moments in a life they knew would never be again after this day. His eyes said to her, "Thank you for all you are sacrificing for me to serve our country. Thank you for being the strong woman you are so I am able to do this. Thank you for being willing to sacrifice our normal marriage and family life for what I want to do for our great nation. Thank you for being the wonderful woman that you are."

Her eyes said to him, "I love you, Barack. I am so proud of you. Your girls love you and are so proud of you. This will be hard for us, but we are ready for anything in order for the American people to have you as their president. Together, we can do this. Yes... we can."

As I watched the crowd cheer for Obama, I realized that this was the moment he was being "taken" by the country to be elevated to position of Commander in Chief. And in a surreal and sad way, it was as if Barack and Michelle were saying a kind of "good-bye" to one another in that very brief and fleeting moment on that stage together.

This is when I truly understood something far deeper and more personal about the Obama family that brought me to tears, tears that streamed down my neck. This family is willing to sacrifice everything they have for the good of this nation.

Barack has willingly made a decision that will make time with his small girls and his wife very hard to find, if not impossible. As a mother of two children the ages of Barack's, I can't imagine how difficult a decision this is for Michelle and Obama to make. Our girls need and want both of their parents on a daily basis. I can't imagine trying to raise my girls without my husband being home with us on a consistent basis, and yet this is how it will be for the Obama family now.

There are many ways people are able to serve our great nation. Running for president is a deeply sacrificial act which demonstrates a great love and passion for this country. Barack and Michelle Obama will no doubt rise to all the challenges that face them as they continue down this path towards presidency, but I would like to ask the nation to pray for them as they do. It is important to always remember that Barack and Michelle are people just like us with kids just like ours. If elected president, Barack and his family will move into a completely new life that they have never known which will require a lot of adjustments. There is no doubt, however, that the strength and fortitude of their family will see them through it all in good stead.

Barack, Michelle, we want thank you both for what you are doing for all of us, for this country, for the future of our children, and for the future of their children. God bless you both and your children every day. We know what you're sacrificing for us, which is why we are behind you, beside you every step of the way toward your journey to the White House. Thank you! Thank you! We wish you abundant love and new adventures that will bring your family closer together in exciting, once-in-a-lifetime ways!