Thank you, President Obama.

I am a life-long republican who has continuously been inspired by the great eight years you served as my president. Political discourse in America has sometimes exposed some of our worst behavior. Today we seem to have a new low with the spewing of conspiracy theories, personal attacks on those we disagree with and doing whatever it takes to achieve power with little concern about our country and society.

You rose to a new level and took the high road by focusing on robust debate without making personal attacks. You showed that you really do care about a more civil society in ways that inspired me. At Pearl Harbor you said, “It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward” and “we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different.” Sounds like what I was taught in church that I have not always followed. Thanks for helping me remember that lesson.

You also saved businesses by policies needed to save our economy, including loans; most were repaid. You saved millions of jobs, including my retirement. You pushed to improve the rights of all people. You did the impossible by expanding health coverage to millions and that may have saved thousands of lives. You continued the fight against terrorist extremism while also finding political solutions to global issues. You made efforts to improve schools, represented us in a way that made me even prouder to be an American, and your family inspired me as a family man.

Again, thank you especially for giving us hope by leading as an example for creating a more civil society.