At Last

I am so proud and so happy to have lived to see this day.

When I was born, segregation still existed - a fact that blows my mind because I’m not that old. When I started to learn to read, I would come home from Dick and Jane and see the horrors of the Vietnam War on television. When I was ten years old, I learned the highest office in the land was seething with corruption.

After all that, I was a cynic before I even knew what the word meant.

But today….

Today, I experienced what I’ve been seeking for over thirty years: hope and pride and joy and a complete casting off of my cynicism as I watched a man sworn into the presidency. I’ve supported candidates before, but I’ve never believed in one like I believe in this man. For once, I did not vote for the lesser of two evils – this was The Guy, as far as I was concerned.

Today, I wept many times when the camera captured some of the faces of African-Americans in the crowd – faces so filled with pride and wonder they glowed in a way that is usually found only in brides walking down the aisle. I am so happy they lived to see this day.

I’m so happy I lived to see this day.

I’ve had at least one staunch Republican ask me why I like Barack Obama so much. What had he done? Why was he so special? There are lots of things I could say, but the most important, in many ways is how he affects me. Remember the movie As Good as it Gets? Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt: “You make me want to be a better man.”

That’s what President Obama does for me. He makes me want to be a better citizen. Be more committed to changing things. Be more involved in making that change come about. And I think that’s what he does with a lot of other people, too. Here’s the thing: we all want a leader who is smart and strong and wise, but we always seem to forget that the greatest leaders are the ones who bring out the best in their followers. A leader can only get you so far – ultimately it’s the followers who make or break the community.   

So here’s to you, President Barack Obama. May you lead us through a wondrous journey in which we all discover the best in ourselves and use it to make our country and the world a better, safer place.

May God bless you, your family, and our nation.