Thank you Obama

He burst on the scene eight years ago with the swag of a meteor man, although nobody except himself believed he stood a chance. At the time it was inconceivable for a black American with descent from a small East African country to become the president and commander-in-chief of the richest and most powerful nation on earth. Dogged, courageous, charming and optimistic, he was simply unstoppable. He hit the campaign trail with conviction, his "Yes we can" slogan striking a chord in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people that had for long longed for a paradigm shift.

His bearing and message of hope brought meaning and regenerated a lost generation who showed up and voted for him overwhelmingly. The status quo was changed forever as the small and big people in small and big corners of the world searching for answers began to believe that nothing was going to stop them if they took to action and dared to believe that they are destined to win. 

He had arrived in Chicago in his early 20s with raw dreams as he tried to figure out who he was and find his purpose in life. The dignity with which the ordinary people hustled moved him deeply, striking him that if he put a nice shift in everything he did nothing was impossible. From that time his pursuits were characterised by an audacious hope; the kind the apostle Paul said does not disappoint.

Indeed the test was won and the rest is history as Obama went on to become one of the youngest and most brilliant Senators. He did not stop there but gave the presidency a shot, hitting the mark. So profound was his attainment that it provoked gushing tears of joy down the cheeks of remarkable sages like Jesse Jackson who had tried years before and failed. 

Last week as I watched Barack Obama on CNN delivering an emotional farewell address to the nation of America, I doffed my cap and bowed. Not necessarily because of his performance as president but because of how he deftly showed us that nothing is impossible if you really believe. Yes I can shine too, and this is my year! Yes you can too, and this is our year!