A Day in History

There are not many days you wake up knowing it is a day that will forever be remembered in history. There are not many days you wake up knowing you will remember where you were and what you were doing on that day. Today is a day we will be able to tell future generations with pride how we were part of history. I am in awe of this day.

I remember the first time I saw Barack Obama on Oprah talking about his book "The Audacity of Hope" back before he had ever announced his plan to run for president. (Although Oprah did say she hoped he would.) I remember telling my mom about the man I had seen and how I hoped he would run for President because there was something about him that struck a chord in me the first time I saw him. I remember having conversations with my best friend when Barack Obama first announced his run and I remember her telling me she thought she would vote for Hillary because she simply did not believe Obama could win. I remember being surprised that my democratic, african american best friend of 10 years would feel that way, but I also remember thinking that I've never walked in her shoes. (She did eventually come around.) I remember how excited I was, for the first time in my life, to go vote. Not for the lesser of two evils, but for someone I truly believed in. I remember watching the election results with my parents and my in-laws the night before we got in the car to move to Florida. I will never forget the way I felt when he won.

Today is a day of mixed feelings. In a few hours Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President and I'm not sure I can put into words how happy I am. I did not vote for Barack Obama because he was black, but I'm really glad he is. I believe that Obama is who he appears and that he will inspire change in this country. I believe Barack Obama is going to be a great president. But I am also incredibly disappointed today. I am disappointed to have lived almost my entire life 30 minutes outside of Washington DC, and now, can not be there to celebrete and be part of history. I would love to be able to say "I was there".

Jimmy is going to be coming home from work early to watch history with me. I wish I was there, but mostly I am grateful this day is finally here. I am grateful that this day is happening in my lifetime. I am so happy for our African American citizens because I know what this day means to them. And I am happy for America because I know what this day means to us. I am in awe of this day.