These Historical Times

What a country! - Luke Russert, via Tim Russert, via 'Big Russ' Russert.

I know I should be blogging about selling online, specifically about selling our t-shirts at Graphics by mOOndog on Bonanzle, and Bonanzle.com itself, but today and tomorrow are too much on my mind.
Tomorrow Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States. What an amazement that is.


Like so many Americans, my feelings about this are intense, deep, and very complicated. The Race Issue. Americans voting an African American man to be President in the year 2008 is an astounding tribute to the American Spirit. The issue of Race has been such a horrible stain on the face of our country, and the fact that Americans everywhere looked past the color of this man's skin to vote him in office is a magnificent event. Is the issue of Race settled here? No, it's not. But did it ever take a turn towards finally being delegated to being in 'The Past' instead of being in 'The Present' and most regrettably, in 'The Future' of our country.


For me personally, a white woman born in 1959 and raised in a tiny community where there were no African American people, and who has felt since a very young age that the words "All men are created equal." are true of every man and woman and not just the ones that look like me, the results of the election on November 4th, 2008, were, among other things, an absolute relief. The weight and sadness that I had carried deep in my heart all these years about the issue of Race in this country lifted and were carried away with the words spoken by President Elect Barack Obama and the tears of joy that streamed down my face that night.


The man himself, President Elect Barack Obama, (known in some circles as 'PEBO' lol), is the choice of Americans to lead and guide us through these very difficult times. He was chosen from a large field of contenders, some good and some not so good, and he was our choice because many of us feel he is the only person who can successfully do this. His dynamic yet calm personality inspires us and gives us hope, and his intelligence and obvious confidence in himself gives us confidence in him. One of the pundits said in the recent campaign, "I want the really smart guy to win!", in reference to PEBO and I couldn't agree more.



Soon to be First Lady Michelle Obama. Smart. Confident. Grounded. Beautiful. Stylish. Wow. There is no doubt whatsoever that she will be one of the most celebrated First Ladies ever for so many reasons. If you are like me, you are looking forward to seeing what she will do as First Lady. Whatever it is, we all know it will be done with intelligence, grace, and poise. Can you see as I can the vision in your head of her confidently standing in State somewhere with Queen Elizabeth of England? Which of the two of them will you be looking at?



I don't know about the rest of you, but the thought of those two beautiful little girls, Malia and Natasha (Sasha) Obama, giggling and chasing a puppy through the hallways of The White House just tickles me to my toes. I know their parents will make sure that the two of them lead as normal a life as possible in their very special circumstances, and very rightly so, but I'm looking forward to occasional glimpses into their lives as our First Daughters.



So, in brief, that's what has been on my mind lately. This is an exciting, history-making time in our American lives, and the lives of many more around the World.
And the words I started with are the words still in my heart:



What a country!
AJ