Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Where Were You When....?

Happy Day, Bloggy Friends!

I have been waiting for this day for years now. This afternoon, when Barack Obama made history by becoming the first African-American President, I breathed a sigh of joy as long as the National Mall itself. After one of the longest election processes in history, we have finally arrived at a place of finality. Wow. Wow. Wow. The magnitude of this moment is too large to describe with words. Just think of how far we have come as a nation. Just think of how powerful that moment must have felt to Barack Obama, Michelle, and particularly those in attendance who remember the days when African-Americans weren't allowed on the steps of the Capitol - unless they were to clean it. Wow. Wow. Wow. This is a day I have been dreaming of since I was a child. I used to read books about John F. Kennedy's "Camelot Years," and walk away with the sense that those days passed as quickly as the bullet from Oswald's rifle - but they are back. Hope. Inspiration. Progress. We have arrived once again. We have another chance. Yes! Yes! Yes!

One day those who were not around to witness these events will ask, "where were you when Obama took office?" What will your answer be? Were you blessed enough to be there in person? We didn't make the trip to Washington D.C., but we were blessed enough to be able to spend it together. Alan decided to take a "work from home" day, which he totally utilized in case anyone from GSK is watching! We sat on our comfy couch and watched the whole ceremony from start to finish - in HD! It was beautiful. The sun was shining so brightly. It was the perfect day for such an monumental occasion. I can't even begin to describe the amount of pride I felt growing inside me once again for our nation. Over the past few years there were moments when I doubted our collective decision making ability, but I tell you what, America has been redeemed! We have taken such a terrific step forward. Congratulations America, Congratulations!

I hope you all have a wonderful night. Let what we have seen today be a reminder that we can all do whatever we set our minds to. We are magnificent beings who have the abilities to create anything we set our minds to. We have infinite potential. Yes We Can! Yes We Can! Yes We Can!

I'll chat with you soon.

Love, Josh

P.S. The pictures I've shared today are images of what things looked like in our household during the Inauguration. Feel free to share your stories as well!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gosh, you're taking blogging to the next level. This was fun. The action photos. The pets. The "my hair is on hold now" bandana.

Gary had off today (he works where all those poeple were standing on the mall), so he was home with me. I had a very rough morning work-wise, with a major crisis. Nevertheless, come swearing-in time (also viewed on high-def here) I was at a slow simmer of euphoric. It was a very great day and I truly enjoyed it. I enjoyed every moment of it. When I got up this morning I did think of taking the subway downtown. Glad I did not b/c even ticket-holders were turned away. A woman was swept under a subway car. People who had been outside since the night before gave up their posts hours before the events began.

I did think that I should have invited you ladies down here and then just leaned on your energy to get us down there and into the crowd (I have no doubt you would have accomplished it). I wish that would have occurred to me a month ago, and I might have proposed it.

The world I knew as a child and as a young man changed today.. For the most part, that is good. Very good. But, like all change, saying goodbye to the old ways is just a bit sad. Bush, although a moron, was the last of "presidents" as I knew them.

EMullins said...

I kept the tv on at school all day, and my kids were actually really interested in the goings-on. What an exciting day! =)

Rick Watson said...

I had a doctor's appointment and when it come time for me to go back to see the doc it was time for the inauguration to begin. I said to him, let's stay here in the lobby and watch. He agreed and he and his wife sat on one couch while I sat on another. No other patients were there, only the receptionist. We all watched quietly as I had a tear rolling down my cheek on a few occasions. It was very emotional for me, especially when Aretha sang. Being a gay person, I know the feeling of discrimination. As to see all those people of color in tears and looking so proud just brought tears to my eyes!

I'm happy and hope that everyone finds their way in life and enjoys every minute of it. I'm finally on that track and am so blessed that I've arrived.

btw.... I'm loving the matching footies!!

Where's Galileo??

Casey said...

Finally!!!! I was able to watch the events of Tuesday (on HD also...we even have the same cable box as you) and was excited the whole time.

It's a very different and promising time now for all of us.

P.S... cute pics and I definitely love that the puss is in the last one.

Anonymous said...

I totally missed the matching footies!!! OMG you two are adorable.