Watching History

For the past couple of months we've known that this day would come. Ever since the election it seems that everyone has been counting down to January 20th as the day change would come to our Nation. I wanted to make sure that today was a special day. Rather than watch the inauguration on my computer at work I took the morning off. KUER was hosting an inaugural event at Kingsbury Hall and so I joined with a few hundred people to watch history unfold.

It was fantastic. The crowd was electric. As different leaders emerged to the podium everyone cheered (there was even moderate applause for the outgoing administration). When Barack Obama was finally introduced the room erupted. It was a moment I'll never forget. As President Obama completed the oath of office total strangers were congratulating one another and everyone shared in the collective sense of hope. We were Americans and we were celebrating our President.

President Obama's inaugural address was amazing. He offered direction in a time of turmoil. Hope in the face of despair. He promised the return of the United States of America as the preeminent power for good in the world. His speech served as a call for service and beacon to return to our nation's core values. It was not full of lofty rhetoric, but served as a calculated challenge for each citizen to fulfill his/her part of the American dream.

Today was a day for the history books. Even if I wasn't in Washington, I joined with the 1.9 million on the Mall to welcome our new President. Good luck President Obama.