"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
To my dear grandbabies: Owen, Audrey and Celia,
As you lay sleeping in your cribs last night... history was made.
I watched with a lump in my throat as Barack Obama, an African-American, was elected President of the United States.
When Obama approached the podium to speak, I welled up with tears as the camera scanned the beautiful rainbow of faces of cheering people who had gathered by the tens of thousands in a Chicago park to get a glimpse of history being made. Young, old, black, white, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish...etc. etc. etc.....all united by the commonality of being Americans and believing in this incredible man.
Barack Obama has given us a feeling of badly-needed hope. We have young men fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the economy is in great trouble, health care is not available for all....I could go on and on. But, many of us have been inspired to dream of better times again through the words of this great leader.
I am one of those people...not just for me, now....but, for the three of you and the world that I will be leaving you in the future. As a mother and a grammie, my hopes extend way beyond my todays...and, this just feels so right.
I wish that I could say that all prejudices have been erased by this election, but I cannot. There is still hate and ignorance in our world. Living in Birmingham, Alabama is a constant reminder of some of that. However, I see this as a step in the right direction towards better understanding and acceptance of our differences....and working together as one.
Millions of Americans felt the motivation to make their voice heard by voting like we have never seen before in this country. Millions of people saw a man who inspired them without being concerned about the color of his skin. "We can do it!" people chanted....and "do it" they did.
Maybe some of the "hate" in the world will now be replaced and defeated by "heart". The hearts of so many people were felt last night.... and today I woke up hopeful and, oh, so proud.
With love always,
your Grammie
"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." Lin Yutang