A Letter to President Obama, When Political Times Where Different
This was written on October 27, 2016
My Dear President,
I have a story for you and about you that in all honestly, I should have written to you much earlier in your Presidency. It happen while I was living in France with my French husband and you had just been elected President of the United States. Whenever I tell people this story, they just LOVE it. It’s a story that is really better appreciated done verbally. But as my chances of meeting you to tell you in person are slim to none and because we are about to lose you and your lovely family to a new President, I decided to write you before you leave The White House.
I need to give you some background to what lead up to this “Obama Moment”, as it has become known by those I tell. I was living in Los Angeles, CA when I met my French husband through my Pilates teacher in 1999 (that story is in and of itself kind of a LA story…but I digress). I was 53 years old when my husband and I fell in love and I moved “lock, stock and barrel” to France to be with him and get married a la Française style.
That was the year 2000. Which means I was living in France when 9/11 happen, and while George Bush was President. After 9/11, the French commemorated the New York City Fire Department in their annual “Bastille Day” parade. They weeped with us as we have for them during their recent terrorist attacks. But it was also the years following President Bush’s election where the French never understood how we, as Americans, could have elected George Bush as our President. The French tend to like the US better when we have Democrat Presidents. They teased us expats about “the chads”, they ridiculed us about Iraq. But it wasn’t just the French, it was Europeans as well. When you ran for President, they all hoped that you would be elected. And when you were….well, I could finally hold my head up high as an American (!!!!)
A week after the success of your election, my husband and I went to the Champagne region to buy some cases of champagne from this vintner that he knew. The owner had a yearly event where you could sign up for a tour of his vineyard and afterwards in a large hall on his property, he served a wonderful countryside meal. Each course having a glass of champagne that complimented that course. There must have been 200 people in this hall and as the French always do food in a superb way, after several delicious courses and glasses of champagne, we were feeling really good.
At the end of dinner, the owner of the vineyard introduced himself, thanked everyone for coming and then said (this is all in French, of course!). “Who came here from the farthest distance?” My husband leans into me and says, “Raise your hand and tell him you are from California”. It was true that I had lived in France for nearly 8 years by now. But it was also true that I was from California. So I raised my hand and said, “Je suis Americaine et j’ai habité en Californie”
Suddenly, and this is where you, Mr. President, take over….suddenly, I hear everyone whispering, “une americaine, une americaine!” Then unexpectantly, they all began banging their fists on the table, crying out…O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA, YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN. It was priceless…especially hearing “Yes We Can” with a French accent.
Later, as I was walking to the ladies room, again I heard whispers saying, “L’americaine, l’americaine”. I, by proxy of you, was famous for the day!
I held my head up…proud to be an American in France!
Now, we are living in Phoenix, AZ with intermittent trips back to Guy’s homeland. But my days in France will always be memorable. Especially the day that America, elected you as our President.
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