Michelle Obama Surprising People Recording Goodbye Messages Is the Most Bittersweet Thing

Wednesday's Tonight Show was all about Michelle Obama. The departing First Lady was the guest through the entire show, and she did fun stuff like play a silly game with Jimmy Fallon, Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle, and get serenaded by Stevie Wonder.

But the heart of the appearance, and the segment that most speaks to the beauty and grace of how Michelle Obama inspired so many Americans, is the segment where she surprises people as they're recording farewell messages to her. It's the first time Jimmy Fallon has made me cry.

In the clip, people come into a room to recite heartfelt messages of thanks to a portrait of the First Lady. What they don't know is that she and Fallon are behind a curtain and can hear everything they're saying. The looks on peoples' faces when she comes out, hugs them, and thanks them for their kind words will melt your heart.

And the things that Michelle Obama did for people are meaningful.

"Because of you, I know that my race does not define who I am or what I can accomplish," says a young woman of color. Another woman says that Obama inspired her to do the work she was put on Earth to do.

"My daughter looks up to you, and I don't even think she knows all the ways," a dad says. Referencing Obama's Let's Move! campaign to combat childhood obesity, he explains: "She has a salad bar at her school, and she tried it. So thank you for helping my daughter eat her vegetables."

"I've let her stay up and watch your speeches, and the reason I do it is because the thread that runs through your speeches is kindness. Always kindness. Speaking deep from the heart. That is the one value I try to teach my kids."

There will never be another Michelle Obama. We will miss her.