Michelle Obama has shared what she calls "one of the best texts I've ever received".
The former First Lady posted a screenshot to Instagram on Sunday (local time) of a text message from her older brother Craig Robinson.
Robinson, a college basketball coach, told his sister he'd been listening to an audiobook of her bestselling memoir Becoming and reflecting on the death of their father.
Fraser C. Robinson III died in 1991 due to complications from multiple sclerosis, which he'd struggled with while his children were growing up. Obama was 26 at the time while her brother was 27.
"As I sit listening to the words of your book for the third time, it occurred to me that I haven't thanked you for all your memories," Robinson wrote to Obama.
"Since I'm the one who is supposed to remember everything, I realised I have blocked out everything regarding dad's death. I was here crying and laughing at the sadness of the story and the comfort of your voice, all I can think of is how much I love my little sister. Thank you."
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Obama told her 29 million Instagram followers she had an emotional response to the message.
"My brother just sent me one of the best texts I've ever received," she wrote in the post's caption.
"My father gave us absolutely everything. The laughs and lessons, the hugs, the heartache from losing him - they're all still there with me, every minute.
"Each of us has our own perspectives and emotions; our own journeys in the moment and in the years since. And that's why it's so important to share our stories with each othernot just to remember, but to connect. Even an ocean away. Love you, big brother."
Just a few days earlier, Obama posted a childhood photo of her and her brother to celebrate National Siblings' Day.
Robinson III worked at the water treatment plant in Chicago, where Obama grew up. In Becoming, she describes her working class parents as supportive and encouraging of their children, teaching her to read before she started school and saving up so she could go on a school trip to Paris as a teenager.
Her father died before any of his grandchildren were born - Robinson has four children while Obama's two daughters, Malia and Sasha, were born in 1998 and 2001 respectively.
Newshub.
