Today was a day in history that I will NEVER forget. I wish our kids were old enough to really remember the significance of the Inauguration of our 44th President of the United States of America. I spent most of the day doing things that could be done in front of the television (folding laundry, filing bills/paperwork, etc) so that I could watch the various traditions and parts of a presidential inauguration. I felt guilty at the time, but I am so glad that I did it. I also wanted to write this blog as I was watching things happen in order to catch my thoughts in "real time"; however, with the kids being a bit rambunctious that was not an option. So, I sit here watching the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball as I try to recall the thoughts I had revolving around this event.
It all started as I cuddled with my little man on the couch Monday afternoon. He was sleeping in my lap when I started watching Oprah. She was broadcasting from Washington DC and had the world premier of "America's Song" on her show (I put the song on the right side of the blog - click on the "play" arrow to start it). All I could do was listen to the lyrics and realize that we do live in a Beautiful place and should consider ourselves blessed! I don't know why but I actually had tears in my eyes as I listened to it! It just hit me on this particular day, I guess.
Today, I started watching television this morning before the President-Elect and his wife even left the Blair House. I found it interesting and inspiring that the first thing on their list of things to do today was to attend a service at the near by church! How absolutely wonderful that they get to take some time for themselves (and the 600+ others invited) to reflect on all that is happening, to thank God for all that he has given them, and to ask God for the strength and perseverance to succeed in the days ahead.
Then I watched as they were filtering people into the Mall for the Inaugural Ceremony. Absolutely amazing to see how many people traveled and waited and stood in the frigid temperatures to see this historic event take place! And historic it was! Ethan had learned about Barack Obama in school during election time and so we have been telling him that this brilliant man is going to be our 44th president and the very first African American president. Ethan watched part of the ceremonies with me and was so excited when the president-elect walked out onto the podium at the start of the ceremony. I just hope that he'll remember a small portion of what he witnessed today even if it is just the excitement that he had for it all. Now, the significance of it, he doesn't really get that. However, I will explain it someday and will make sure they understand just how lucky we are to live in a time when an African American was chosen by the people to take the oath of President. The statement that makes is beyond words!!
Now, even though the glimpse we get into the life of the Obama's is minute, it seems to me that they possess many values that we try to instill in our children. Amongst others, those of the love of family and humility, and those of integrity and sincerity. Some of the images that I saw on television today showed just that. The love that you could see for his wife, for his daughters, and for his country could be seen often! It was just wonderful to watch this changing of the guard and to know that he is going to do all that he can (with our help) to make our country a better place.Not being there, I obviously couldn't take any pictures, but I'm happy to say that some folks were nice enough to take a few for me and post them online. I did take a few as the day was going on, but not all turned out like I wished they would have. These are just a few that I wanted to include in order to remember the day as it happened.
The mass of people who watched history take place,
the repeating of the oath,
a special moment between Dad and daughter,
a genuine moment between President Obama and his First Lady,
a picture that speaks volumes about what our country has accomplished, and
walking hand in hand - a comfortable, special view of their friendship and love.
And if there's one thing that I hope our youth (and the rest of us for that matter) takes away from this entire sequence of events, it's that your opportunities are endless and anything is possible if you want it bad enough. I had hoped, but never thought, I would see the day that an African American was the head of our country. That day has come! What a huge barrier to have broken through! And I hope breaking that barrier opens the eyes of many to the fact that we live in an amazing country that has endless opportunities just awaiting you to take advantage of them! There will always be challenges, but if you believe in yourself, work hard, and earn the respect of others anything is possible.
