A Day of Pride

In November, we did it, we elected Barack Obama as our 44th President. That election day filled me with euphoria. But today, on his inauguration day, I am filled with something else, something deeper and more profound . . . not just hopeful idealism, but true pride in our country and the realization of how far we've come in my own lifetime.

My childhood occurred during the years of the Vietnam War and during the struggle for racial equality. I was raised believing that while women and blacks SHOULD have equal rights, they really didn't and were desperately fighting for it.

Today I had to work, so I tried to catch glimpses of the big event on my coworker's monitors as we watched it through website feeds. But when the swearing in came, we all stood transfixed as we saw the dream come true. It was very emotional and moving.

Now we've come full circle. We have a leader who represents all the best qualities we so desperately need in a leader at this point in our history. It feels as if we are on the brink of something.

This President isn't promising to do it all for us, but to lead us in a new direction and into an America that we all participate in and create together.