Inaugural

I'm feeling a little bewildered by the fact that today was really the day we finally got Bush out of the White House and Obama in. It seems perhaps to big too be contained within just one day. As so many others have said, so much has lead up to this day. On Election night I cheered and cried. Perhaps partially because of our proximity to the events, I think that will remain the day that felt most meaningful to me. Today I feel less emotional but still very proud. It was a day spent smiling.

As with some of Obama's other speeches, I felt an even greater kinship with his words upon re-reading the transcripts, so I will post a link here. He had so many issues to address and he did them all justice. To me, if there was one quote that I took away from the speech more than others it was this one:

"To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

Since his speech at the democratic convention (and perhaps more vocally once Kerry lost) I have been rooting for Obama because this kind of rhetoric should have prevalence since 9-11. Throughout his campaign his speeches served as reminders of what America is capable of, so at this moment it would be impossible to be anything but hopeful and proud.

Anyway, tonight we are modestly celebrating, a bottle of wine and a nice dinner. All week I've been noticing how happy Barack and his family look. Something about that came through in his Presidential portrait, I think.