An Historic Day

I don’t think I have ever watched a presidential inauguration ceremony live. Most likely it’s because I never had the opportunity since up until this year I would have been working. Today, Isabel and I viewed history in the making. We watched the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama. It was quite moving.

Any ceremony of this kind is inherently moving with all the pomp and circumstance, and any change in administration brings high hopes for a fresh start, a new direction. But Obama fan or not, one cannot deny the special significance of this moment in time. President Obama summed it up best when he said sixty years ago, his father would not have been able to dine in many of the restaurants in Washington, D.C. because of his color. Today, his son took the oath for the highest office in the land.

Isabel will not remember this day, this event. She will not remember that she applauded when Barack took his place on the dais. She will not remember that she danced around the family room when Aretha Franklin sang. She will not remember that she made the sign for airplane and said “bye bye” when the helicopter bearing former President Bush and his wife took off over the capital on its way to Andrews Air Force Base. But I will remember these details. And someday I will be able to tell her that though she has no memory of it, she bore witness to a moment that changed the course of history in our nation and in our world.

I’ve always been proud to be an American and grateful for the liberties and privileges we have, but I’ve never felt the sense of hope I do today. Perhaps partially that is because I now have a child, and the future of our world has become much more personal for me because that future is my daughter’s. My prayers today are with our newly inaugurated President Obama and his family and his administration. The days ahead will not be easy, but I feel very confident that we have a leader who is up to the tasks at hand. Happy Inauguration Day!