History is Made

On this day, Tuesday, January 20, 2009, history has been made. For the first time ever, a black man has been elected and inaugurated into office as President of the United States. Barack Obama is now our proud leader, after a long campaign ended with victory for the Democratic party, including his running mate, Senator Joseph Biden.

It is an emotional day, not just because of the amazing impact of our country electing its first black leader, but also because of the road that looms ahead for these brave men who have chosen the daunting task of leading this country. A task that several political cartoonists have all but thrown up their hands at, as if to say "Good luck!" because of the state of our current economic state, a world at war, a healthcare system crumbling, public school systems failing our children, and a financial disaster that has been getting worse with each passing month.

This is a huge job, one that many people say they wouldn't want. But my faith and hope is in this man that I personally cast my own vote for, the one who inspired me almost one entire year ago, and who now has inspired a nation to believe in his own dream of a country with the courage to change, and the vision for a better tomorrow.

He ends his inaugural address, with this:

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have
traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a
small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy
river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The
snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our
revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be
read to the people:


"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when
nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country,
alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."


America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our
hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let
us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let
it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let
this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes
fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift
of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

I know I am in good company, as I pray for Barack Obama as he settles in as his new role as Commander In Chief. For every day, there will be new struggles, I hope that he is surrounded with the support and wisdom necessary to carry out the immense responsibilities that lie before him. Best wishes to his beautiful wife, Michelle, and their class-act of a family, as their lives change forever. And we as a nation, put our trust in our new leader today.