President Obama Writes Heartwarming Final Letter To The American People

Where does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that President Barack Obama was sworn into office. But eight years later, President-elect Donald Trump will take office in an inauguration tomorrow. 

And while it's common practice for the outgoing president to write a note for the incoming president, a tradition that President Obama will be maintaining, it's rarer for a president to write a farewell note to the American people. But this morning, Facebook users are waking up to this sweet message from the president.

"It's a long-standing tradition for the sitting president of the United States to leave a parting letter in the Oval Office for the American elected to take his or her place. It's a letter meant to share what we know, what we've learned, and what small wisdom may help our successor bear the great responsibility that comes with the highest office in our land, and the leadership of the free world."

"But before I leave my note for our 45th president, I wanted to say one final thank you for the honor of serving as your 44th. Because all that I've learned in my time in office, I've learned from you. You made me a better President, and you made me a better man."

Get the tissues ready. 

"Throughout these eight years, you have been the source of goodness, resilience, and hope from which I've pulled strength. I've seen neighbors and communities take care of each other during the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. I have mourned with grieving families searching for answers – and found grace in a Charleston church."

"I've taken heart from the hope of young graduates and our newest military officers. I've seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch, and wounded warriors once given up for dead walk again. I've seen Americans whose lives have been saved because they finally have access to medical care, and families whose lives have been changed because their marriages are recognized as equal to our own. I've seen the youngest of children remind us through their actions and through their generosity of our obligations to care for refugees, or work for peace, and, above all, to look out for each other."

"I've seen you, the American people, in all your decency, determination, good humor, and kindness. And in your daily acts of citizenship, I've seen our future unfolding."

"All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into that work – the joyous work of citizenship. Not just when there's an election, not just when our own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime."

"I'll be right there with you every step of the way."

"And when the arc of progress seems slow, remember: America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word 'We.' 'We the People.' 'We shall overcome.'"

"Yes, we can."

The president went on to share some of his favorite photographs from his eight years in office. In the first, President Obama, the First Lady, and Rep. John

In the first, President Obama, the First Lady, and Rep. John Lewis, join veterans of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches on the 50th Anniversary in March, 2015. 

White House / Pete Souza

President Obama visits the Community Children's Center in Lawrence, Kansas, one of the nation's oldest Head Start providers.

White House / Pete Souza

President Obama fist-bumps the robotic arm of Nathan Copeland at the University of Pittsburgh. The arm uses a medical breakthrough to provide Copeland with the sensation of touch. 

White House / Pete Souza

Audience members listen as  President Obama outlines his health care reforms in 2009. 

White House / Pete Souza

President Obama fist-bumps a medical professional in the Green Room of the White House.

White House / Pete Souza

President Obama views science exhibits during the 2015 White House Science Fair. These six-year-olds used LEGO pieces to design a battery-powered page turner to help people who are paralyzed or have arthritis.

White House / Chuck Kennedy

Following the mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, the President pauses while giving the eulogy.

White House / Pete Souza

U.S. Army Ranger Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg and his father Craig Remsburg greets President Obama at Cory's newly finished home.

White House / Pete Souza

A soldier hugs the President as he greeted U.S. troops at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.

White House / Pete Souza

The White House lit with the colors of the rainbow in celebration of the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage in 2015.

White House / Pete Souza

President Obama bends over so the son of a White House staff member can pat his head during a family visit to the Oval Office in 2009. The youngster wanted to see if the President's haircut felt like his own.