Grace and Class

I know I have a tendency to swoon over Michelle. And I also realize that the media has been so focused on her clothing and her style that they may finally end up forgetting that she is one smart woman with ideas and a brain!

That being said, I simply MUST post this story I read today about the surprise gift Mrs. Obama offered to Mrs. Bush on Inauguration Day. It speaks volumes, in my opinion about the kind of woman Michelle is. That she had the grace to think of what the day might feel like for Mrs. Bush, and the class to consider something so appropriate based on what Laura had planned to do next.

This is much, much more than the proper, mannered hostess gift. It acknowledges the truth: that all endings are beginnings and however difficult, there is always something worthwhile and positive about starting a new chapter.

Below, is the piece I read.

When Mrs. O and her husband first arrived at the White House on January 20, she was carrying a present in one hand. It was a large rectangular box wrapped with red ribbon.

Until now, attention has been turned on the ceremonies and the celebrations. But now that the hoopla has calmed down a bit, we can all return to an unanswered question: What was in the box?

It was a hostess gift from Mrs. O to Mrs. B, who has said that she now plans to use her time out of the White House writing her memoirs. But unlike many hostess gifts-candy, wine, flowers-this one was a highly personalized selection. It was a leather-bound journal inscribed with a quote from Louis L’Amour, the American writer known for his iconic Western novels: “There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.” Accompanying the journal was a pen engraved with the date January 20, 2009. What better way to start your memoirs?

This is the first known time that an incoming First Lady has brought a gift to an outgoing First Lady.