Welcome President Obama!

My heart is absolutely bursting today!!!

I don't normally post commentary on this blog, but feel that today is too important to just let it pass without saying something.

I find my eyes welling up with tears every few minutes. I voted for Barack Obama because I believe in his message. I believe in his abilities to reach across party lines and unite this country. For the first time in my adult life I am really and truly proud to be an American!

For some reason, my heart has always gone out to the African-American community. I've never thought it fair that even though I face some of the same hardships as so many people across this country, that my path might be a bit easier simply because of the color of my skin.

When I visited the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, Michigan I was able to sit in the same seat on the very bus that Rosa Parks refused to move from so long ago and I wept as I heard her tell her story over the speakers installed in the exhibit. I wept because not only am I moved by her courage to buck the system, but also because she should never have had to. She was not unlike my own mother, but my mother would never have had to endure what she did, simply because she was a white woman. I list Rosa Parks alongside my mother as people who inspire me in my life.

And now Barack Obama is on that list as well. I am so proud that my children are young enough that they will never remember a time when the collective questioned whether or not it was possible for a black man to be elected President of the United States. They will know that it is possible for ANYONE who possesses the determination, the intelligence, the charisma, the work ethic and the education to be President!



My prayers will be with President Obama & his family as they lead our country! I'm so proud to be an American! I'm so proud to be a citizen of this world! My heart is absolutely bursting with pride!!!