My Husband's Leaving Me For Obama

I am an Obama widow.

That is right; my husband is leaving me for Barack Obama for five weeks to volunteer in the battleground state of Nevada for the Democratic campaign.

Do not get me wrong, I am going to miss the guy -- and I'm a little jealous too. Before anyone brings out the violins or tries to set me up, understand that I signed up for this voluntarily.

Ever since my husband first heard Obama speak, he has been excited and rejuvenated to become politically active for the first time in a long time. Depleted and depressed by much of what the life of a hard-working man, a husband and father has endured under a failing administration and economy, he changed from hopeless to hopeful almost overnight.

We both cannot help but be energized by Senator Obama's clear pronouncement on the issues that matter to us most. No other candidate has been as inspirational, articulate or has echoed our politically ideology with as much clarity and passion when addressing salient and pressing issues.

He speaks in words we understand and describes experiences our friends, family and we, ourselves, have suffered from. He does not simply weave speech from whole cloth for people who just need to blindly follow a leader, as the other camp has sorely attested.

He speaks in a way that is not patronizing, is uplifting and moves us all to act, rather than simply react. He talks about a healthcare system that is fair and affordable; about a living wage that we might actually live on; about education as a reality for the poor and, above all, about a chance for all of us to hope to live the American dream.

I am a willing Obama widow and actually have been getting used to my new role for quite a while now. Let us just say I have been in Basic Training camp. For the better part of four months, besides working overtime in a job that supports our family, my husband has been volunteering locally, making phone calls, maintaining responsible political blogs to get the message out, and keeping up on the latest issues of the presidential race.

In one day, he singlehandedly raised more than $1,000 -- through emails alone.

His has his home office filled with Obama buttons, signs and bumper stickers for anyone who might want to donate time or money to the cause. One day all of the political paraphernalia will be mementos of the past, but with hard work and tireless effort, our hopes for America's future will, hopefully, be brighter and ever- present, because of action like his.

While he is gone, I plan to hold down the fort with our kids, with my contribution that I will not complain to him about my own trials, and instead support the trials of the campaign. Like other wives of warriors, I will be solid, loving and strong when he tells me of his battles, wounds, defeats and victories. I will also wait his return and will not stray insofar as the political and social ideologies we believe in and fight to sustain daily because this is the most crucial time of our lives as a young family.

We want our daughters to have what we had, we want them to be able to see, speak, learn and live freely in a free world.

We want them to be strong but not violent, successful and compassionate, charitable and forgiving and hopeful about the future, be it economically or spiritually.

We will be taking a big financial hit. Our girls will be without a father for more than a month, and I will be without a man around. In return, I will have the pride and satisfaction of knowing my husband and I cared enough to make a difference for the future of our children and yours.

Look, I can compete with most people when it comes to being attractive, a great conversationalist, political debater, thinker and activist. But I'm no Barack Obama.

Heck, I would even leave me for Obama.

Comments

[Old Hippy]

I had a live-in girl friend til the same urge hit her. She's campaigning in Michigan

[WilliamL]

Lets see, near 5000 plus widows and widowers out there due to this war (s) and thousands of men and women praying not to join the club. Will you husband be deployed for a year or eighteen months?

It wd. have been nice if you mentioned these people in your piece.

[KGinSanFrancisco]

Thank you to you and your family for their devotion and sacrifice to get Obama elected. I'm also doing my part, I hope others get inspired by your story. That's being truly patriotic and not those that use a flag pin and do nothing else.
Obama/Biden 08, the only ones who can take us out of this big mess.

[GrandpaDan]

Okay, I'm Francesca's father-in-law and very proud of her and my son for doing their part for a better America!

[smags72]

Go, GrandpaDan!! You SHOULD be proud!

[ltva]

Cute. Tell your husband to keep up the good work.

[KiwisCanFly]

Thank u Francesca.

I know I am not the only one that feels a resurgence of caring about what is happening in our country, again. In finding inspiration from Sen Obama that he is able to lead us in a better direction.

[jeanrenoir]

Good for your husband! This is by far the most important election since 1860 and 1932. If McCain-Palin win, despite the twin disasters in Iraq and on Wall St., not to mention the housing collapse on Main St., then it's obvious we're headed for sheer theocratic fascism in this country and the final revenge of the rednecks on the elites, an American version of what Hitler pulled off in Germany, but without the Holocaust since the brains trust that would be running THIS theocratic fascist state would be neocon Jews (as opposed to the majority of great liberal, humanist Jews who have done, and still do, so much to make this country sane, decent, tolerant, and just, at home and abroad). We MUST stop the theocratic fascists and neocons this November or this country is truly finished, not least because Lieberman's first order of business will be to direct his ventriloquist dummy, McCain, to mount a bombing crusade against Iran which will double or triple world oil prices and drive the final stake through the heart of the American and world economies. These people are not just evil, they are crazy.

[XME]

Thank you!

[PoliticalJNKY]

Thank you to you, your husband and your children for your sacrifices!

PEACE!

[poliscibabe]

Thank you and your family!

[Danigirl65]

WOW!! This post truly touched my heart. I thank you and your family for your sacrifice for all of us. We all sacrifice, in different ways, for this campaign and it will pay for itself in the long run. As a two job working, single female, I don't have the time to offer, but I donate $$ to the campaign which I look at as my investment in my own future as well as the future of my niece. I pray that we (the American people) can all see the forest for the trees.

[Sloane7]

All the best to him and you. I lived in Nevada for a time. It's not an easy state. I was not politically happy until I left.

[Merersu]

God, how amazing is your sacrifice! Thank your husband for me and you take good care this month!

[trinidadgirl]

Go for it! If you believe in it ...work with it. The fulfilment one can get from 'the try is oft counted for righteousness' is surely worth it!