The former First Lady of the US shared a sweet picture of Marian on Instagram to go with her powerful words. Barack also marvelled in his mother-in-law’s “steadiness, perspective and jokes”. Michelle wrote: “Whenever I see this picture, and the look in my mother’s eyes, I wonder if she has any idea what’s coming in the decades ahead.
“Real love and real loss, children and grandchildren who’d keep her on her toes, a wild ride to places she’d only read about or seen on television.
“But I also see “something else in those eyes, something that guided me every day from the moment I was born her unflappable belief that whatever came her way, she’d manage it.”
She added: “Happy birthday, Mom. I love you.”
The ex-US President also reminded people she was much more than what people had seen in photographs and of her during appearances with the Obama family.
READ MORE: Meghan Markle gushes over Michelle Obama – ‘Someone kind, motivating’
He said: “What you haven’t seen is the way she’s been there for us every day ― not just for Michelle and our daughters, but for me, too.
“I’ve always appreciated her steadiness, her perspective, and the way a wisecrack from her reverberates around the room.”
“Happy birthday, Marian ― here’s to many more.”
The comments come after Michelle revealed she and Barack have enjoyed more time together since he left office in 2016.
Since her husband departed the White House, Mrs Obama has continued to be a presence in the public sphere and recently released her memoirs on life as the First Lady.
Moreover, the former First Lady has spoken of what life has become for her and her husband as their children, Malia and Sasha, have grown up and left the family home.
In an interview with Gayle King, Mrs Obama spoke of how she has begun to bond again with her husband now that their children are older.
Praising her husband, Mrs Obama said: “My husband is my teammate and if we are going to win this game together, he has to be strong and he has to be OK with me being strong.”