All Eyes are on Us

I love to witness history in the making, and for that reason, I am jealous of the hundreds of thousands of people crowded into our nation’s capitol today for a glimpse of the inaugural festivities. Barack O’Bama has become our 44th President, and regardless of how you feel about him and his politics, you cannot deny that his ascent to the White House is an important moment in this nation’s history. We have turned a corner in our search for the right path toward equality. And now we’re looking to him for direction on many issues. And so is the rest of the world. The pictures from D.C. today are a microcosm of what’s going on around the globe. People in all nations were looking at the United States today with great interest. They too, are hoping that this new leader of the free world will move America toward peace with others and put us back on solid financial ground. A people in need of hope put him in office. A world in need of hope is cheering us on and celebrating with us. President O’Bama has a lot of work ahead of him. The weight of the world is literally on his shoulders, and that burden has probably already begun to settle into his gut. But today our nation pauses to celebrate a new beginning. Democrats and Republicans alike are shoulder to shoulder in frigid weather, marking the freedoms that allowed people of all colors and religions to select our leader and have a say in our government.

The images are moving. An eleven year old girl smiling up at her daddy, not realizing the significance of the oath he uttered. A sea of faces and waving flags radiating from the Capitol building for blocks. The O’Bama’s walking hand in hand down Pennsylvania Avenue to cheers usually reserved for rock stars instead of politicians. The images are fascinating, and I had trouble pulling myself away from them throughout the day. I could post some AP photos here, but I’d rather you take the time to look them up for yourself and review this historical moment. You know, like when you were a kid and you asked your dad how to spell a word and he said, "Go look it up in the dictionary."

Yes, I yearned to be in Washington today. To cheer on our new President and encourage those in the crowd to remember the unity of this day because we’re going to need that unity in the months to come. This man cannot do it alone. He needs everyone pulling in the same direction. He needs for us to stop pointing fingers at each other and get along. He needs the extremists in the media, liberal and conservative alike, to quit boosting their ratings with flimsy journalism-Rush Limbaugh you know who you are. (Sorry janjanmom.) He needs for the Democrats and Republicans to cross the aisles and quit being so self serving. It's time for all of us to pull up our pants and as mama says, get our &%*! together. The work starts tomorrow. But today, and just today, we pause to celebrate, and remember those who went before us throughout this rich nation's history to give us freedom and opportunity. And those who will lead us forward. I'd give my left elbow for a ticket to an inaugural ball. To dance the night away in our nation's capital. To rub my right elbow with a who's who of the political elite. And to experience history. With my own two feet. Wow. What a day.