Saturday, December 13th

10:05pm

Dear Diary,

After reading the New York Times article about our friends, Valerie Jarrett, Martin Nesbitt, and Dr. Eric Whitaker,
I can’t help but think about how much they have done for Barack and me.
Before I even came into the picture, they were a close-knit group of
friends for Barack. And they were so warm and welcoming for me, that I
instantly fell in love with his friends. We’ve gone on vacations
together, barbeques, tennis lessons, and been through thick and thin
together – births, deaths, and all that’s in between.

But these guys were forced into the spotlight when Barack began
running for office, and more so when he ran for the presidency. I
imagine the public scrutiny has been difficult, but they’ve all come
through as true friends, standing by Barack and me every step of the
way. We’ve all gotten together more over the holidays, since that long
campaign is finally over. And we’re all especially looking forward to
another vacation in Hawaii together.

But as the article discussed, it’s so sad that we have to plan out
when we can see out friends. It’s sad that we have to stay in such
isolation while Barack is in the White House. And even then, there’s so
much Secret Service around, that we’ll never truly be alone. But we do
feel fortunate to know that we’ll always have such wonderful people as
friends. This is one of my sappier entries, but since the passing of
Barack’s grandmother and Thanksgiving, I’ve begun to realize that we
really have to celebrate and cherish all that we have.

Yours always,

Michelle