The Rev. Dr. Pat Earle
Hickory, NC
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500
March 17, 2010
Dear President Obama,
This is a letter of encouragement and affirmation. As a clergy person, I see that both of us have been called to a work. I believe my call was spiritual. You were most certainly called by the people of the United States to lead us into a new day. In each case we may share a common experience. For clergy, the first year in a parish or congregation is something of a honeymoon, but the second one often is a time of criticism and censure as if all that was overlooked during the honeymoon year is saved up and seems to explode on the scene. This sometimes comes as a surprise when those who were the most supportive the first year, seem to become the most critical. If one can hang in till the third year things seem to get better, and it usually takes about five years to see the dreams for the parish or congregation come to some kind of fruition. If this is also applicable to the presidency, then you must win the next term.
Michael Beschloss, historian and author, writes about presidential courage. According to him, both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, one from each side of the isle, recognized that a president's job is not to follow the public, (the polls), but to lead them. You are a leader of exceptional skill. Lead us into a new era of peace, prosperity and freedom from fear. The operational words are courage and integrity. And as you always say, "God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."
Sincerely,
The Rev. Dr. Pat Earle, PhD