Hope

The day after the inauguration of Barack Obama, I am still excited and hopeful that things are going to change for the better in the next four years. I watch the news coverage and see the hopeful crying and looking forward, knowing that the recent past has been stressful; at times a living nightmare. The inauguration was exciting and emotional but, also a confirmation of just how dire our times are. Some people in this country have nothing left except hope. Barack Obama has huge expectations to live up to. I hope that too many people do not feel let down by the constraints reality and time may place on him.





I am excited and somewhat empowered by what I believe will be a brighter tomorrow however, my "struggles" are minor compared to that of a large part of our population. I realize as I watch moving pictures of African Americans, that I have no idea, despite reading and empathizing with them, of their struggles. I have been fortunate. I have been privileged. I have very rarely been made to feel like a second class citizen. It hit me very hard that I have no idea what it feels like to feel liberated from a history of closed doors and lack of opportunity. I feel proud to be a part of a country that has evolved in such a short history. I am proud of the American citizens who have chosen a new route for the future and I hope to do my part to make that future a happy, prosperous one for others.

Oh yeah, and this gives me another opportunity to show off my picture with our new president and his first lady..