January 20, 2009 - A Truly Historic Day

Already this morning I am in absolute awe. The excitement in our nation today is palpable. Before the girls were up this morning I was able to watch some of the national news coverage of the morning. It was amazing to see the number of people already flooding the National Mall. At the girls' school, CNN was being shown on the big screen in the commons area. The principal announced while I was there that the teachers would be able to have it on their classroom TV's as well. The girls' teacher mentioned that they would be focusing on the day's events today... in Kindergarten. There's something different about this inauguration. I don't ever remember being this excited personally about the inaugural festivities or the new leader. I don't ever remember the nation as a whole being this excited about an inauguration. Granted, I'm only 34 years old, but I feel like I'm watching history for only the second time (the first time being 9/11/01). This time I feel like I'm watching a positive historical event. I feel like this will be one of the "Where were you when..." events of my generation. I know that it will be a profound experience to watch this today. Already I have felt tears come to my eyes after seeing an elderly African-American man bundled up and in a wheelchair waiting in his place at the National Mall to see President-elect Obama take his place in history. I don't know what it was like to experience discrimination based on skin color or any other trait that a person cannot control. I can't even begin to imagine how that must feel. I know how this whole election has affected me, but I can't imagine the effect it must have on those who have experienced first-hand the pain of discrimination. I'm going to take-in every bit of coverage that I can today. I am especially proud and feel especially fortunate to be an American today.