A New Day has come

A New day has dawned in our country. I am filled with pride and hope and awe. This election was grueling, tedious, aggravating, infuriating and frightening. Over the past six months I have become more and more of a political/news junkie. TV, internet, magazines, blogs-you name it I read it or watched it. My poor aging brain is so filled with trivia and blither that there's scarcely room for a shopping list.

And today...Peace. I was so moved on Tuesday night that I could hardly speak. I watched the election coverage like a tennis match-truly uncertain about the outcome. There have been election and voting"irregularities" in the past, you know. Then, sometime after 9pm (mtn time)
an avalanche began and before I could grok what happened; they were announcing that Barak Obama predicted the probable winner. Huh?( I was dug in for a looog night)

I don't think I understood completely until I heard John McCain's concession speech -very gracious-(and without all the ticks and grimaces) that I began to absorb the historic importance of this election.

Then there was Grant Park in Chicago....I know Grant Park (from Chicago)-it was transformed. It was New Years Eve and 4th of July and Christmas. 250,000 people smiling, crying, laughing, yelling, hugging, weeping and all the time waving American Flags. Barak Obama gave, what I believe, was a moving, humble, hopeful and very motivating speech. He lifted everyone up out of the fear and hatred we have been forced into. There was no more talk of derision, derisiveness, fear-mongering, doom and gloom--it was about a new direction, about working together, personal responsibility, cooperation, hard work and a new path out of the morass in which we have become mired.

It wasn't the words he said or the way he said them, it was his ability to inspire that moved me. I have heard that before in my lifetime...long, long ago.It brought me hope that -cliche that it might be-Together-united as one people- Americans can do whatever they set their hearts and minds to achieving. And a huge wall of hatred began to crumble; our First Family will..for the first time...be young and African American. OMG.

The days and months ahead will show how badly we want to accept the challenge for change, what will we, as a country, be willing to do or to sacrifice for ourselves, our families and for future generations.

I know it will be difficult, there is no quick fix for the hole that WE have dug ourselves (make no mistake-we are all complicit in this- either by commission or omission). This is not time for blame and finger pointing-it's time to move forward. When history looks back at this time, how will we have acquitted ourselves? With honor and courage and grit? or with whining and blaming and selfishness and greed?

I especially love the fact that people from every corner of the world joined with us to celebrate a New Beginning (makes me cry every time) and I fervently hope that we do not disappoint them...as we did after their generous support after 9/11.

Folks, I think that the "collective Higher Powers"have given us a "do-over", let's not blow it.