Former President Barack Obama recently appeared on Today’s Glass Half Full podcast, speaking with host Craig Melvin. While the conversation mostly revolved around the newly opened Obama Presidential Center, it took an unexpected turn when Melvin mentioned a letter written to Obama during his time in office.

Melvin and Obama discussed the multimedia display at the Obama Presidential Center, which, among many of Obama’s treasured keepsakes, includes a letter written to him by a 7-year-old named Emily Smith, who had lost her mother to cancer. The little girl explained that one of her mother’s final acts was voting for him.

Understanding what it felt like to lose his mother at a young age, Obama wrote back:

“Emily, Thanks for the wonderful letter. My mom died of cancer too, so I........

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