Barack and Michelle Obama: Romancing the White House

Just the way in which he looks at her gives you goose pimples...

Just the way in which he loving held and kissed her throughout his campaign to become US President, makes you gasp and say, "Wow! this man is really enthralled by this woman and they're married to boot!"

(Most celebrity marriages seem to last the length of time that it takes an iguana to shed its skin and grow a new coat - a maximum of 4-6 weeks).

...From the Obamas' using every spare minute, during their busy Presidential Campaign schedule, to show each other just how much they really care.

...to the vivid photos of them endearingly touching heads just before Barack Obama's inauguration as US President...

...to the romantic way in which they danced together at the  inaugural balls after his inauguration...

...it seems that President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama, are really in love.

Wolf Blitzer's (the anchor of CNN's "Situation Room") claim that if Americans follow in the romantic footsteps of the Obama's, they may all need a hosing down (to cool them down), is instructive of the magic that Barack and Michele Obama exude, when together.

But I think the thing that keeps us, the public, intrigued, is the fact that Barack and Michelle Obama are still in love after sixteen (16) years of marriage.

...and they're not afraid to show just how much they mean to each other.

You could say that the Obamas' marriage has the kind of substance that we all (both single and married people) desire for our marriages...one in which after sixteen (16) years of marriage, love still blossoms as if it were at it's first bloom.

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But the story of how the Obamas came together is quite instructive:

You could say that Michelle Robinson had waited all her life for a man like Barack Obama.

She didn't have many boyfriends and according to the articles, below, she always wanted a man who reminded her of her father, Mr. Fraser Robinson.

...a man who went to work in snow, rain and hail, despite having Multiple Sclerosis...

A responsible, black, family man who, along with his wife, looked after their children - guiding  and nurturing them from birth into young adulthood.

Michelle Robinson realized the importance of finding a man with good moral and family values and "held out" until she met such a man.

She pursued a career in law and met Barack while he was a first year student at Harvard and a summer associate at the law firm for which she worked.

Being both minorities from the same law  school (Harvard), Michelle Obama's supervisors thought it fitting that Michelle should mentor Barack Obama, even though she was 25 years old to his 28, at the time.

Barack was immediately smitten and asked her out. She reluctantly agreed because she at first thought his request,a bit tacky, seeing that she was his mentor.

Nevertheless, she agreed and after their first date, she, herself, became smitten of him.

Her brother, who was protective of his younger sister, noticed his sister's interest in Barack and thought that it wouldn't last.

Michelle, being a wise young woman, asked her brother to test Barack's character...in  a game of basketball, for according to Michelle Obama, you can tell if a guy is a jerk or not, by the way in which he plays on the court or on the field.

...You can also tell if he's a team-player or selfish.

Her brother also researched Barack's background by asking Barack's  friends about him.

Happily, her brother had great things to report, including the fact that Barack was the real deal (not a phony).

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Barack Obama has continually told young men that they should marry young women who are superior to them..

(An aside: To me, this is a sign of a mature and self-assured male, as many men marry women who do not "threaten" them, because their "masculinity" will allow nothing more. (These men's low  self- esteem predominates their view that women more accomplished, will trample all over them and make them seem small.)

Barack found his superior woman in Michelle Robinson.

He married Michelle on October 3,1992.

And from all accounts, this marriage has thrived accordingly...

(Iron strengthens iron, as we would say in Jamaica - meaning that strong people,when working together, will strengthen each other.)

The Obama's marriage is a testament to both single and married people across America and the globe that:

1) True love does exist

2) True love is worth waiting for

3) People who are right for each other, should marry, work out their differences and stay together.

It is my prayer that the President and First Lady's love will continue to blossom and bloom and that they will continue to be great examples to the world, that strong marriages and families do result in strong and well-balanced societies.

(I would like to thank NeighbourhoodBall for the use of his YouTube inset video above. It shows President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, having their first post-inaugural dance together (at the Inaugural Neighbourhood Ball), to the song, "At Last", written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon and sung by Beyonce.)

Gillian

Sources Include

1) Slide-show, "Barack and Michelle Obama: In Love,In Photos", by Josey Miller, iVillage.com

2) Article, "Michelle Obama's Independent Streak, and Her Romance With Barack", by Geoff Martz,Lynn Redmond,Teri Whitcraft, Christina Caron of ABC News, October 3, 2008

3) Article, "Barack Obama", Wikipedia.org

4) Article, "Reptile Skin Shedding" by Melissa Kaplan April 19, 2007