The Rev & The Pres

My Dear Husband has a lot in common with our President. Well, actually, not a lot in common, but some things. Okay, maybe one or two things. They are both leaders; David leads his church, Obama leads the world. They are both good speakers; nobody ever knows what will come out of either of their mouths. They both have stylish accomplished wives; Michelle wears both designer and off-the-rack fashions, and I wear both mail-order and thrift store fashions. Michelle has a law degree, I have a Christian Ed degree.

And both My Dear Husband and President Obama have extensive "to do" lists.

Barack Obama came to our town yesterday (May 13) to address the graduates at Arizona State University. It was quite an event. Traffic from all directions was diverted, forcing David to find an alternate route to his church. People stood in line for hours in temperatures over 100 degrees to get in the stadium doors. (We've had trucks drive through the church doors, but no one has ever stood in line, so far.)

To honor the President, ASU renamed its most important financial aid program "The President Barack Obama Scholars Program," but decided not to present him with a ceremonial degree, explaining, "his body of work is yet to come."

A lot of the President's admirers took offense on his behalf, but Obama himself doesn't seem to mind, quipping, "First of all, Michelle concurs with that assessment. She has a long list of things I have not yet done waiting for me when I get home."

There certainly are a lot of things waiting for David when he gets home. Because, just like Mr. Obama, when My Dear Husband walks in our door, he is no longer The Head of Staff or The Reverend Mister Hicks or even Our Dear Pastor. He's just Dad, with the kitchen trash that must go out, a running toilet needing adjusted, and treasures left in the backyard by the dog waiting to be found. (I wonder if the First Dad does that, too, or if Sasha & Malia perform poop patrol?)

Yes, The Great Ones have a lot to live up to, and they are expected to accomplish miracles. Yet it's the day to day effort that counts, not the degrees or the titles or the bars on the sleeves of the Geneva gown. As the guy at the graduation said, "That's what building a body of work is all about; it's about the daily labor, the many individual acts, the choices large and small that add up over time, over a lifetime, to a lasting legacy."

And while that legacy is under construction, let's keep the back yard clean.




Visit Sidekicks Clergy Spouse Network