wonderful day.

barack obama is about to take his oath as president of the united states. amazing. inspiring. energizing. i just feel wonderful today and am so excited to hear his words of hope and thanks.

i've been thinking about the element of surprise and awe in all of this. yes, it blew me away that this country has made such a fundamental departure from the last 8 years (if not the past 40). it was surprising. it was! i believed in obama. but i didn't have faith that he would get the vote. there are just so many people in this country.

but he did! (hallelujah praise jesus) and now found i've been taken aback even more by the graciousness with which a lot of people i knew as mccain/republican diehard supporters have not only accepted, but rallied behind 'our president'. 'he's our president and i will support him', 'i wish him nothing but the best', etc.

my father is my best example: republican through and through. it doesn't get any bluer. againts obama from day one. i figured ok...now i'll hear how the jilted really feel. i mean...he's my dad and there's a certain amount of disclosure that comes along with that relationship...if anyone is going to tell you how they really feel, it'll be your parents. but in our conversations over the holiday season (me of course speaking in hushed tones out of respect and concern, as though he's been diagnosed with a deadly illness...)

'dad...you doing ok?'

'what?'

'you know...i don't mean to rub it in...but obama is our president now...i just wanted to see how you were taking it.'

'oh honey..he's going to be a wonderful president i hope. he may have not been who i voted for, but he's elected. he's our president and i stand by him.'

'yeah...i don't even know what you just said...'

of course i hadn't finished this post this morning...when it made sense...but still. my point remains the same. what a unifying and unstoppable amount of energy this man possess but even more impressive is that he brings people together! with such delicate yet concise language he has managed to navigate a clear picture of the ever-growing mountain of fears and concerns people face today, never pointing a finger at others without first looking inward. his position has been one of unity and shared responsibility and BOY! am i grateful to be a part of this world right now!