米歇尔奥巴马演讲 机遇

米歇尔奥巴马演讲 机遇之门Michelle Obama speaks at the 2012 DNC非常感谢，伊莲我们非常感谢来自你家庭的服务和牺牲，我们永远支持你。 过去的几年来，借由作为第一夫人的非凡殊荣，我几乎游遍了整个美国。 而无论我去到哪里，从我所见到的人们，所听到的故事中，我都看到了最真切的美国精神。 在人们对我和我的家庭，特别是我的女儿们那难以置信的友善和热情中，我看到了它。 在一个濒临破产的学区的教师们不收分文、坚持执教的誓言中，我看到了它。在人们在突如其来的紧急召唤下化身英雄，纵身扑向灾害去拯救他人飞过整个国家去扑灭大 火驱车数小时去援助被淹没的城镇时，我看到了它。在我们身着军装的男女军人和自豪的军属身上在受伤的战士们告诉我他们不仅会再次站立行走 而是会奔跑，甚至参加马拉松时在一位于阿富汗因炸弹而失明的年轻人“为了我所做的和我还将 要做的，我宁愿失去我的眼睛一百次。 ”这样轻描淡写的话语中，我看到了它。每一天，我所见到的人们都鼓舞着我每一天，他们都令我骄傲每一天，他们都在提醒我， 能够生活在这地球上最伟大的国度中是多么的幸福。成为诸位的第一夫人，是我的荣耀和幸运但当我们四年前首次聚在一起的时候，我仍对我们即 将展开的旅程心怀疑虑。对我丈夫心中的祖国愿景，我满怀信心对他将成为一位出色的总统，我也深信不疑但是就 像所有的母亲一样，我也曾担心如果他当选，这对我们的女儿们意味着什么。身处万众瞩目的聚光灯下，我们要如何让他们保持脚踏实地？ 当他们被迫离开从小熟悉的家、学校、和朋友时，会有什么感受？ 在搬到华盛顿之前，我们的生活充满简单的快乐周六参加足球赛，周日则在祖母家还有巴 拉克和我的约会之夜，我们要么出去晚餐，要么去看场电影，因为作为一个筋疲力尽的老妈，我实在没 法同时去晚餐和电影还不打瞌睡。说真话，我爱我们为女儿们所创造的生活我深爱和我一起创造这生活的男人而且我不愿意 让这一切因为他当了总统而发生变化。我爱的就是巴拉克原来的样子。你们瞧，即便当时巴拉克已经是一名参议员兼总统候选人了对我而言，他仍是那个开着辆锈迹 斑斑的破车来接我去约会的男子，我几乎都能透过乘客这侧车门上的破洞看到飞逝而过的路面他仍 是那个把一张从垃圾箱里翻出来的咖啡桌当做自己最了不起的财产的男子，那个仅有的一双体面的鞋子 比自己的脚还小了半号的男子。然而，当巴拉克开始向我讲述他的家庭时就在那一刻，我明白我遇到了一个志同道合的灵魂， 他的价值观和成长经历与我惊人地相似。如你们所知，养育巴拉克和我的两个家庭都没有太多金钱或物质财富，但是，他们却给予了我们更 为珍贵的东西无条件的爱，大无畏的牺牲，以及到达他们自己从未想象过的目标的机会。我的父亲是城市水厂的一名泵浦操作员，在我和哥哥很小的时候就被诊断出患有多发性硬化症。 即使当时还小，我也知道他常常被病痛折磨我知道有许多清晨，仅仅连起床对他来说都是一场 痛苦挣扎。然而每天早晨，我都看到父亲面带微笑地醒来，抓紧他的助步器，用浴室的洗脸池支撑着自己的身 体，缓慢地刮好胡须，扣好制服。然后，当他在漫长的一天工作后，我和哥哥会站在通往我家小公寓的楼梯顶上，耐心地等着迎接他 回家我们注视着他弯下腰，举起一条腿，然后是另一条腿，慢慢地爬上楼梯，迎向我们的怀抱。然 而无论多么艰难，我父亲从未请过一天假他和我母亲决心要让我和哥哥受到他们梦寐以求的教育。当哥哥和我终于升上大学的时候，我们几乎所有的学费都来源于学生贷款和补助金。但是我父亲仍不得不自己掏腰包来支付我们学费中的一小部分。每个学期，他都坚持按时支付学费账单，在他捉襟见肘的时候，他甚至宁可去贷款。能送自己的子女去上大学，他是如此地骄傲他从未让我们因为父亲姗姗来迟的支票而错过任何 一个报到截止日期。你们瞧，对我的父亲来说，这是身为一个男人的责任。就和我们中的很多人一样，这就是他衡量生命成功与否的方式一一能否靠工作让自己的家庭过上体 面的生活。当我逐渐开始了解巴拉克之后，我发现虽然他在美国的另一头长大，他的成长经历却和我惊人地相 似。巴拉克成长在一个单亲家庭里，他的母亲依靠努力工作来维持家庭生活，在她实在无力支持的时候, 祖父母也会伸出援手。巴拉克的祖母最初在社区银行当秘书她升职很快但就和其他许多女性一样，她的升职最终 还是受到了性别限制。数年间，那些不如她有能力的男性员工一一事实上，还是她亲手培训的男性员工一一都被提升到了 比她高的职位，挣的钱越来越多，而与此同时，巴拉克一家只能勉强度日。但一天又一天，她仍然早起去赶公车比其他任何人都早到公司她总是做到最好，从不抱怨, 从不懊悔。而且，她常常这样告诉巴拉克：“只要你的孩子过得好，巴，其他什么都不重要。”就和许许多多美国家庭一样，我们俩的家庭都知足常乐。他们并不嫉妒其他人的成功，也不在意其他人是否比他们拥有更多事实上，他们为此心存感激。 他们就是心怀着最根本的美国希望，即是说，哪怕你出身贫寒，只要你努力工作，做好本职，那么 你就能让自己过上体面的生活，而你的子女和他们的孩子也会过得越来越好。他们就是这样把我们养育成人并且成为了我们的学习榜样。我们学会了做自尊正派的人努力工作远比挣钱多少重要帮助别人比自己争先更有意义。我 们学会了做诚实守信的人要讲究真相不能妄图走捷径或耍小伎俩以及公平争取来的成功才 算数。我们学会了感激和谦卑一一我们的成功依靠许多人的帮助，从启迪我们的老师到保持学校整洁的校 工我们学会珍惜每个人的贡献，并以尊重待人。这些是巴拉克和我一一以及在场的众多人士一一都试图传递给子女的价值观。我们就是这样的人。四年前，站在你们面前的我知道，如果巴拉克成为总统，我不愿意这些价值观产生任何改变。那么，今天，在那么多的艰苦奋斗和胜利，以及我的丈夫所经历过的那么多我从未想象过的考验之 后，我亲眼认识到，当总统并不会改变一个人一一它只会揭示一个人。你们瞧，我有幸能近距离亲眼观察当总统是怎么一回事。我发现放到总统桌上的问题总是难题那些无论多少数据或数字都无法得出正确答案的难题 那些风险如此之高的选择，根本容不得一星半点的差错。还有，作为总统，你会收到各种各样的人向你发出的各种各样的建议。但是到最后，需要做出决定的时刻，作为总统，你所拥有的全部指引就是你的价值观，判断力，以 及那些对你影响深远的成长经历。因此，当说到重建经济的时候，巴拉克想到的是像我的父亲和他的祖母一样的人们。他想到的是一天辛勤工作所带来的自豪感。这就是为什么他签署了莉莉列得贝塔同工同酬法案，以帮助女性得到同工同酬的公平权利。这就是为什么他为工作家庭和小型企业削减了税负，并努力让汽车工业重新起步。这就是他如何将我们的经济从崩溃的边缘拉回并使其重新开始创造工作机会一一让人们能够养家糊 口的工作，这些好工作就在这里，在美利坚合众国。至于我们的家庭健康问题，巴拉克拒绝听从所有那些要他暂缓医疗改革，把问题留给下一任总统的 人。他不在乎这在政治上是不是一件容易的事这不是他所受到的教育他在乎的是：做正确的事。 他这样做，是因为他坚信在美国，我们的祖父母们应该能够负担自己的医药费用我们的孩子生 病时必须能够去看医生而且，在这个国家里，没有人应该因为一场意外或疾病而破产。他还相信，女性完全有能力对自己的身体和医疗做出选择这就是我丈夫的立场。关于给予我们的孩子应有的教育，巴拉克知道，就像我和你们中的许多人一样，如果没有助学金， 他永远也不可能完成大学学业。而且，不管你们信不信，我们刚结婚的时候，我们的学生贷款账单合起来比我们的房贷还要高。我们是那么年轻，那么相爱，又是那样的负债累累。这就是为什么巴拉克努力增加助学金，并保持低贷款利率的原因，因为他想让每个年轻人都能达成 所愿，而不需要为了进入大学而背负山一样沉重的债务。所以归根结底，对巴拉克来说，这些并非政治问题而是个人问题。因为巴拉克知道一个家庭挣扎度日意味着什么。他知道想要让下一代和下下一代过上更好的生活意味着什么。巴拉克懂得什么是美国梦，因为他正用一生去实践它而他想让生活在这个国度里的每一个人都 拥有同样的机会，无论我们是谁，无论我们从哪里来，无论我们肤貌如何，无论我们爱的对象。而且他认为，当你努力工作，获得成功，并且跨越了那扇机遇的大门之后你不应该砰地一声关 上身后的大门你应该伸出援助之手，将成功的机会同样给予后来之人。因此，当人们问我，入主白宫是否改变了我的丈夫的时候，我可以诚实地说，无论是从他的性格， 他的信念，他的心灵来看，巴拉克-奥巴马都仍是许多年前我所爱上的那个男人。他仍是那样一个人，会在自己的事业起步期拒绝高薪工作，而走入一个因钢铁厂的倒闭而陷入困境 的社区，为社区的重建和人们重获工作而奋斗因为对巴拉克来说，成功并不等于你挣的钱，而是你 给人们的生活带来的改变。他仍是那样一个人，当我们的女儿刚出生的时候，隔不了几分钟就急匆匆地查看摇篮，确认她们仍 在好好呼吸，并骄傲地向我们认识的每个人展示自己的宝贝女儿。他还是那个几乎每晚都会坐下来陪我和女儿们吃晚餐，耐心地回答她们关于新闻事件的问题，并为 中学生间的友谊问题出谋划策的人。他还是那个，我常常看到在万籁俱寂的深夜里，仍趴在书桌上钻研人们寄来的信件的人。写信来的有努力工作支付账单的父亲有保险公司拒绝赔付医疗费用而命在旦夕的癌症女病 人有具有无限天赋潜力却得不到机会的年轻人。我能看到他眼里的忧虑我也能听出他声音中的决心，他说:“你不会相信这些人们在经历些什么， 米歇尔这不对。我们必须继续工作，直到解决这些问题。我们还有更多事情要做。”我看到人们的这些生活故事一一我们所收集的这些奋斗、希望和梦想一一我看到这些都是推动巴拉 克-奥巴马每一天工作的动力。我曾以为我不能爱他更多，然而今天，我比四年前更爱我的丈夫了甚至比23年前我们初见的时 候更爱。我爱他从未忘记自己奋斗的开端。我爱他值得信任，言行一致，哪怕面临的困难重重或者说，特别是在困难重重的时刻。我爱他不在主观上划分敌我他才不在意你是民主党人，共和党人，或是别的什么党派他知 道我们都爱我们的国家而他总是乐意聆听好的建议他总是乐意在遇见的每个人身上发现优点。我爱他即使在最艰难的时候，当我们都焦虑不安的时候当我们担心法案不被通过，而看上去已 经全局皆输了的时候巴拉克从不让自己被非议和噪音干扰。就像他的祖母一样，他只是坚持起床，继续前进带着耐心和智慧，以及勇气和风度。他也提醒我，我们在打一场漫长的比赛改变是艰难的，是缓慢的，它不会一夜来临。但最终，我们会获得胜利，我们一向如此。我们的胜利，来源于像我父亲那样的人们像巴拉克的祖母那样的人们那些对自己说：“我也 许没有机会实现梦想，但也许我的孩子们会有也许我的孙子孙女们会有”的男人和女人们。在场这么多人今天站在这里，是因为牺牲，渴望，以及坚定的爱因为一次又一次，他们咽下自 己的恐惧和疑虑，去战胜困难。因此，今天，当我们面对的挑战显得铺天盖地甚至无法战胜的时候让我们永远不要忘记， 行不可能之事正是这个国家的历史这是我们美国人的根性这是我们的立国之本。如果我们的父母和祖父母能为我们艰苦奋斗如果他们能树立起高耸入云的钢筋大厦，能将人类送上 月球，还能轻轻一触按键就连接整个世界那么，我们当然能继续忘我牺牲，为我们的子女和孙辈建 设世界。如果这么多勇敢的男人和女人能穿上祖国的军装，为我们最基本的权利献出生命那么，我们作 为这个伟大民主国家的公民，当然也能承担我们的责任，来实践这些权利我们当然能够在选举日拿 起选票，发出自己的声音。如果农民和铁匠们能从一个帝国手中赢得独立如果移民能放弃他们所熟知的一切，登上我们的 海岸，来寻求更好的生活如果女性们会为争取选举的权利锒铛入狱如果一代人可以战胜经济衰 退，赋予伟大一个永垂不朽的定义如果一位年轻的牧师能用他正义的理想将我们引导至山顶（注 1）而且如果骄傲的美国人敢于做真正的自己，与自己的所爱之人一起站到神的面前那么当然， 我们当然能够为此国度中的每一个人都提供一个实现伟大的美国梦的公平机会。因为归根结底，最重要的是，这就是这个国家的历史故事 为了植根于毫不退缩的斗争中的毫不 动摇的梦想。这也是造就了我的故事，巴拉克的故事，以及其他众多美国人的故事的来源。今天，我所说的一切，不仅是出于第一夫人的立场，也不仅是出于一个妻子的立场。最终，你们会发现，我最重要的头衔仍然是“老妈总司令”。我的女儿们仍是我的心头肉，我世界的中心。但是今天，我四年前关于我和巴拉克是否在为女儿们做最正确的事情的疑虑已经烟消云散。因为今天，我的经历告诉我，如果我真的想要为自己的女儿们，以及我们所有人的儿子和女儿们留 下一个更好的世界如果我们想要给予我们所有的孩子们实现梦想的基础和与他们的潜力相称的机 遇如果我们想要让他们感觉到无限的可能性相信在这里，在美国，只要你愿意为之努力，就一 定会比现在更好那么，我们就必须比从前更加努力地工作我们必须再次团结起来，支持这个值 得我们信任，会推动着这个国家继续进步的人我的丈夫，我们的总统，巴拉克奥巴马总统。感谢大家，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。注1：圣经以色列人出埃及的典故，摩西带领以色列人摆脱埃及法老的奴役，他被上帝带到山顶 上,看到了 应许之地”。马丁路德金被暗杀之前的最后一场演讲即名为lve been to the mou nta in top。附：演讲稿英文全文Fir st Lady Michelle Obama：Thank you so much， Elaine.we are so grateful for your familys service andsac rifice.a nd we will always have your back。Over the past few yea rs as First Lady， I have had the ext raordinary pr ivilege of tr aveli ng all acr oss this country。And everywhere Ive gone in the people Ive met and the stories Ive heard I have see n the very best of the Amer ica n spi rit。I have see n it in the incr edible kindn ess and war mth that people have show n me and my family， especially our gi rls。Ive see n it in teache rs in a near-bankr upt school dist rict who vowed to keep teach ing without pay。Ive see n it in people who become her oes at a mome nts no tice div ing into har ms wayto save othe rs.fl ying acr oss the country to put out a fir e.d riv ing for hours to bail out a flooded tow n。And Ive see n it in our men and wome n in uniform and our proud milita ry families.n woun ded warriors who tell me they re not just going to walk again they re going to run, and theyre going to run mar ath on s.i n the young man bli nded by a bomb in Afgha ni sta n who said, simply，.Id give my eyes 100 times again to have the chanee to do what I have done and what I can still do。Every day， the people I meet inspire me.every day they make me proud.every day they r emi nd me how blessed we are to live in the gr eatest n ati on on ear th。Serving as your Fi rst Lady is an honor and a pr ivilege.but back whe n we first cametogethe r four yea rs ago, I still had some concerns about this journey wed beg un。While I believed deeply in my husba nds visio n for this countr y.a nd I was certain he would make an ext raordinary Pr eside nt.ike any mothe r, I was worr ied about what it would mea n for our gi rls if he got that cha nee。How would we keep them groun ded under the gla re of the n ati onal spotlight?How would they feel being uprooted from their schooltheir friends, and the only home theyd eve r known?Our life befo re movi ng to Wash in gton was filled with simple joys.Sat ur days at socce r games, Sun days at gran dmas house.a nd a date ni ght for Bar ack and me was eithe r dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mom, I could nt stay awake for both。And the tr uth is I loved the lifewe had built for our gi rls.I deeply loved the man I had built that life with.a nd I did nt want that to cha nge if he became Pr eside ntI loved Bar ack just the way he was。You see, eve n though back the n Bar ack was Senator and a pr eside ntial can didate., .to me, he was still the guy whod picked me up for our dates in a car that was so r usted out I could actually see the paveme nt going by thro ugh a hole in the passe nger side doo r.he was the guy whose pro udest possessi on was a coffee table hed found in a duipiste r, and whose only pai r of dece nt shoes was half a size too small。But whe n Bar ack sta rted tell ing me about his family thats whe n I knew I had found a kindred spi rit, some one whose values and upb ringing were so much like mine。You see, Bar ack and I were both r aised by families who did nt have much in the way of money or mate rial possessi ons but who had give n us someth ing far more valuable thei r unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice and the chance to go places they had never imag ined for themselves。My fathe r was a pump ope rator at the city wate r pla nt, and he was diag no sed with Multiple Scle rosis when my br othe r and I were young。And eve n as a kid I knew the re were ple nty of days whe n he was in pai n.I knew the re were ple nty of mornings when it was a str uggle for him to simply get out of bed。But every morning I watched my father wake up with a smile grab his walker, prop himself up aga inst the bath room si nk, and slowly shave and butt on his uniform。And whe n he returned home afte r a long days work my br othe r and I would sta nd at the top of the stairs to our little apartment patiently waiting to greet him.watching as he r eached dow n to lift one leg and the n the other, to slowly climb his way into our armsBut despite these challe nges , my dad har dly eve r missed a day of wor k.he and my mom were dete rmined to give me and my br othe r the ki nd of educati on they could only dr eam of。And whe n my br othe r and I fin ally made it to college nea rly all of our tuiti on came from stude nt loa ns and gran ts。But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself。And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time even taking out loans when he fell short。He was so proud to be sending his kids to college.a nd he made sure we n eve r missed a r egist rati on deadli ne because his check was late。You see, for my dad, thats what it meant to be a man。Like so many of us, that was the meas ure of his success in life being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family。And as I got to know Bar ack, I r ealized that eve n though hed grown up all the way acr oss the country, hed bee n bro ught up just like me。Bar ack was r aised by a si ngle mothe r who str uggled to pay the bills, and by gran dpa rents who stepped in when she n eeded help。Bar acks gran dmothe r sta rted out as a sec reta ry at a commu nity ban k.a nd she moved quickly up the ran ks.but like so many wome n, she hit a glass ceil ing。And for yea rs, men no more qualified tha n she was men she had actually trained were pr omoted up the ladde r ahead of he, earning more and more money while Bar acks family continued to scr ape by。But day afte r day, she kept on waking up at daw n to catch the bus.a rr iv ing at work before anyone else.givi ng her best without complai nt or regr et。And she would often tell Bar ack “So long as you kids do well Bar, thats all that r eally matte rs。Like so many Ame rica n families, our families werent ask ing for much。They did nt beg rudge anyone elses success or care that othe rs had much more tha n they did.in fact, they admired it。They simply believed in that fun dame ntal Amer ica n pr omise that, eve n if you dont start out with much if you work hard and do what youre supposed to do then you should be able to build a dece nt life for your self and an eve n bette r life for your kids and gran dkidsThats how they raised us.thats what we learned from their example。We lea rned about dig nity and dece ncy that how hard you work matte rs more tha n how much you make., .that helpi ng othe rs mea ns more tha n just gett ing ahead your self。We lea rned about hon esty and in teg rity that the tr uth matte rs. .that you dont take shor tcuts or play by your own set of ru les.a nd success does nt count uni ess you earn it fai r and squa re。We lea rned about gr atitude and humility that so many people had a hand in our success from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean.and we were taught to value eve ryon es contr ibuti on and tr eat eve ryone with r espect。Those are the values Bar ack and I and so many of you are trying to pass on to our own child ren。Thats who we ar e。And sta nding befo re you four yea rs ago I knew that I did nt want any of that to cha nge if Bar ack became Pr eside nt。Well, today, afte r so many str uggles and tr iumphs and mome nts that have tested my husba nd in ways I n eve r could have imag ined I have see n fir stha nd that being pr eside nt does nt cha nge who you are it r eveals who you are。You see, Ive gotte n to see up close and personal what beg pr eside nt r eally looks likeAnd Ive see n how the issues that come acr oss a Pr eside nts desk are always the hard ones the pr oblems where no amo unt of data or nu mbe rs will get you to the right an swe r.the judgme nt calls whe re the stakes are so high and the re is no mar gin for errorAnd as Pr eside nt, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people。But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decisi on, as Pr eside nt, all you have to guide you are your values and your visi on, and the life expe rien ces that make you who you are。So whe n it comes to r ebuild ing our economy Bar ack is thi nking about folks like my dad and like his gran dmothe r。Hes thinking about the pr ide that comes from a hard days work。Thats why he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work。Thats why he cut taxes for working families and small bus in esses and fought to get the auto in dust ry back on its feet。Thats how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again jobs you can raise a family on, good jobs right here in the United States of America。Whe n it comes to the health of our families Bar ack r efused to liste n to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for ano the r day, ano the r pr eside nt。He did nt care whethe r it was the easy thing to do politically thats not how he was r aised he cared that it was the right thing to do。He did it because he believes that here in AmeriGa our grandparents should be able to afford their medic in e.o ur kids should be able to see a doct or whe n they re sick.a nd no one in this country should eve r go br oke because of an accide nt or ill ness。And he believes that wome n are more tha n capable of mak ing our own choices about our bodies and our health carethats what my husband stands for。Whe n it comes to givi ng our kids the educati on they dese rve, Bar ack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never couldve attended college without financial aid。And believe it or not when we were first married our combined monthly student loanbills were actually highe r tha n our mor tgage。We were so young, so in love, and so in debt。Thats why Bar ack has fought so hard to incr ease stude nt aid and keep inter est r ates dow n, because he wants eve ry young person to fulfill their pr omise and be able to atte nd college without a mountain of debt。So in the end, for Bar ack, these issues arent political they re person al。Because Bar ack knows what it mea ns whe n a family str uggles。He knows what it mea ns to want somethi ng more for your kids and gran dkidBar ack knows the Amer ica n Dr eam because hes lived it.a nd he wants eve ryone in this country to have that same opp ortun ity no matte r who we are or where we re from or what we look like, or who we love。And he believes that when youve wor ked hard and done well, and walked thro ugh that door way of opp ortun ity.you do not slam it shut beh ind you.you r each back and you give othe r folks the same cha nces that helped you succeed。So when people ask me whethe r being in the White House has cha nged my husba nd, I can honestly say that when it comes to his characterand his convictions and his heart Bar ack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those yea rs ago。Hes the same man whosta rted his career by turning dow n high pay ing jobs and in stead wor ki ng in str uggli ng n eighb or hoods where a steel pla nt had shut dow n fight ing to r ebuild those comm un ities and get folks back to wor k.because for Bar acksuccess isnt about how much money you make , its about the diffe rence you make in peoples lives。Hes the same man who whe n our girls were first born would an xiously check thei r cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to eve ryone we kn ew。Thats the man who sits dow n with me and our girls for dinner near ly eve ry ni ght, patie ntly an swe ring thei r questi ons about issues in the n ewsa nd str ategiz ing about middle school frie ndships。Thats the man I see in those quiet mome nts late at ni ght, hun ched ove r his desk , poring ove r the lette rs people have sent him。The letter from the father struggling to pay his bills.from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company wont cover her care.from the young person with so much pr omise but so few opp ortun ities。I see the concern in his eyes.a nd I hea r the dete rmin ati on in his voice as he tells me “You wont believe what these folks are going thro ugh Michelle.its not right。 Weve got to keep working to fix this。 Weve got so much more to do。I see how those stor ies our collecti on of st ruggles and hopes and dr eams I see how thats what dr ives Bar ack Obama eve ry si ngle day。And I did nt thi nk it was possible but today, I love my husba nd eve n more tha n I did four yea rs ago.eve n more tha n I did 23 yea rs ago, whe n we first met。I love that hes never forgotten how he started。I love that we can tr ust Bar ack to do what he says hes going to,doeve n when its hard especially when its hard。I love that for Bar ack, the re is no such thing as “us and “them he does nt care whether youre a Democrat a Republican, or none of the above.he knows that we all love our countr y.a nd hes always r eady to liste n to good ideas.hes always look ing for the very best in eve ryone he meets。And I love that eve n in the toughest mome nts whe n we re all sweat ing it whe n were worr ied that the bill wont pass, and it seems like all is lost Bar ack n eve r lets himself get dist racted by the chatte r and the no ise。Just like his grandmother he just keeps getting upand moving forward.with patience and wisdom, and cour age and gr ace。And he reminds me that we are play ing a long game her e.a nd that cha nge is hardind cha nge is slow, and it n eve r happe ns all at on ce。But eve ntually we get the re, we always do。We get the re because of folks like my Dad.folks like Bar acks gran dmothe r.me n and women who said to themselves “I may not have a chance to fulfill my dreams but maybe my children will.maybe my grandchildren will。”So many of us sta nd here toni ght because of thei r sac rificea nd longing, and steadfast love.because time and aga in, they swallowed thei r fea rs and doubts and did what was har doSo today, whe n the challe nges we face sta rt to seem ove rwhelm