Happy birthday, Obama! We miss having a leader like you!

Editor's note: We are re-sharing some of the best moments and most important stories of 2020. Although it was a difficult year for nearly all of us, there were also shining moments of light and signs of hope. This was one of them.

As President Barack Obama turns 59 years old today, we are once again reminded of the grace and sophistication he brought to the White House. Nearly four years since stepping down from his presidential duties, the father-of-two is still a beloved figure of leadership in U.S. politics. Aside from his successor's absolute failure to earn the respect of American people, it is a testament to everything Obama brought to the table that for many, he is #StillMyPresident. In fact, in many ways, Obama has continued to be the voice of reason and comfort we turn to when the nation faces tumultuous times.

While President Trump consistently uses Twitter as his personal dumping ground for all shades of hate, we are inevitably reminded of Obama's empathy for the common man and respect for his peers. Although we could draw a million comparisons between the 44th and 45th Presidents, we need only look to what happened on the latter's birthday to get a sense of their legacies. Unlike now—when birthday wishes for Obama are trickling in on all social media platforms—Trump's birthday on June 14 was marked by the Twitterverse once again reiterating its love for the former president.

But enough about Trump vs Obama. While our collective sense of longing is as strong—if not stronger—today as the day the Obamas left the White House, Michelle's birthday tribute for her husband echoes something we could all use right now: hope. Happy birthday to my favorite guy. Here's to all the good days, blue skies, and new adventures to come, the former first lady wrote on Instagram, sharing an unbelievably adorable throwback photograph of the family.

With the 2020 presidential elections fast approaching amid a global pandemic and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests that—while bringing about some long-overdue cultural shift—have unmasked the overwhelming number of racists in our midst, perhaps it is to the "good days, blue skies, and new adventures to come" that we need to set our eyes now. Although that sounds like the ramblings of an insufferable optimist, if there's one thing the past three years have thought us, it's this: To every Donald Trump, there's a Barack Obama. To every racist, there's a BLM ally supporting their Black peers and raising their own voices against centuries of racial injustice.

So as we wish the former President a very happy birthday today, we hold on to the chance of a better tomorrow. Happy birthday, sir. Here's to good days, blue skies, new adventures to come, and hopefully, an America that has learned from its past mistakes.