The Day We Sent Obama A Baseball

He’s a Dad. He’s a president. He’s a sports fan. Who better to appreciate a baseball signed by five of the Founding Fathers?

So I sent President Obama one of our “autographed” baseballs (an Army of Dads exclusive), featuring the signatures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton!).

I figured he’d get a kick out of it. I also used it as an opportunity to tell him about Army of Dads. I figured his curiosity would be sufficiently piqued, and he’d want to invite me to the White House to learn more.

Well, the days turned into weeks, and no response from the president. I was about to give up hope, when one day…a letter arrived. It was from the White House.

I took a deep breath, and opened it. It was a personal note on an embossed card from the president. “Thank you for your generous gift,” it stated. “It was such a nice gesture, and we were touched by your generosity.” You can read the rest of the note from the photo. It was signed by both the president AND first lady.

Now, some people might mistake this as some sort of “form” letter, one dispatched from an office that probably receives quite a few small tokens of appreciation (though not many baseballs autographed by five of the Founding Fathers!). But if you read between the lines, you can tell that this is truly a personal response. Not a form letter! Not at all! How can you even think that?!

The invitation to the White House must be coming under separate cover.