Dear Obamas,

Thank you. Thank you all for what you’ve accomplished in your eight years as first family.

Thank you Sasha and Malia Obama for letting me grow up with you. Age-wise I’m right in between you two, and it was nice to have someone I could relate to in the White House. Thank you for being two teenage girls constantly in the spotlight, and putting up with whatever came with that. This country has loved watching you both grow up, and thank you for letting us do that.

Thank you Michelle Obama. When I was eight years old, I noticed my school lunch didn’t come in a plastic package anymore, and our teachers gave us longer recesses. Thank you and your Let’s Move campaign for that. It was a primary factor in the healthy life I live today. And thank you for your inspiration to young girls. Not only are you the first black first lady, but also a highly educated lawyer and public servant, you changed the game for first ladies. Thank you for not just staying quiet and serving your husband, but for instead speaking out and serving your country. Thank you for all your Let’s Move segments on Nickelodeon, and your guest appearances on Jimmy Fallon. Thank you for the warmth you extend to everyone you talk to, and thank you for your time as first lady. You’ve done so much, and advocated for so many people; thank you for being our first lady.

And thank you Barack Obama.

Thank you for being a game changer in the world of politics. Thank you for bringing us two terms where you’ve accomplished so much. Thank you for getting us out of the housing market collapse, and the economic crisis. Thank you for showing America what a loving and equal marriage looks like, and then allowing us to make a movie about it. Thank you for being so loveable and goofy, making dad jokes while still managing national affairs. Thank you for allowing me to learn about politics with you. From age 8 to age 16 you’ve been my president, and you’ve been the person we talk about in school. I don’t condone all the choices you’ve made, but it’s hard for me to imagine anyone else in power, because I’ve only known you. When discussing presidential powers in school I always thought of them as Obama’s powers, but unfortunately they are no longer yours.

Our country is not the same country it was eight years ago. We’ve gone from electing our first black president to electing a man whose bigotry, xenophobia, and racism have reinstated the American ideal of hate. We are taking ten steps back, but you did give us those five steps forward.

Thank you and goodbye Obamas. This country is going to have to get through the next four years without you, but we will get through. You will be missed, but we will still continue the work that has to be done. It may feel like the power has been lost, but the power is in the people, and we will, while whispering yes we can under our breaths, get through this.