2009 Inauguration of Pres. Barack Hussein Obama

I have to say that my heart was turned around, and tears filled my eyes, as I turned on the TV this morning to watch what was happening at the Inauguration. Words that come to mind is surreal, overwhelming, pride, hope, excitement . . . to witness the sea of humanity with flags of red, white and blue waving above their heads; to hear the cheers, hope and excitement in people’s voices as they were questioned about their thoughts on the day and the impact it will have in their lives and in the life of our Country; to gaze on the many stoic military and security figures who stand watch and assist those in attendance; to witness the beauty of a chilly, but sunny day, shining down on the nation’s Capitol and all the wonderful monuments surrounding it; the suns rays gleaming through the stars and stripes of the flags wafting in the wind; taking note of the ‘Who’s Who’ from Hollywood and ‘everyone who’s anyone; there to witness the 44^th President, Barack Hussein Obama, take the Oath of Office. The Dream uttered from the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963 by Martin Luther King, finally reached the walls of the White House and is coming to fruition.

The things I noticed: Michelle Obama was friendly and smiling, and watching each move as her queue from Laura Bush; Laura Bush was ever gracious, Pres.-Elect Obama smiling and winking with genuine warmness and was exuberant {crowds cheering O-BAM-A!}; Poor G.W. seemed sad and pensive - wondering if the crowds are cheering his exit or Obama’s entrance; the Military required to salute – why doesn’t the majority of Americans’ put their hand over their heart when the flag passes by? On the fashion side – is Michelle Obama color blind? A yellow dress with chartreuse gloves and a red purse. . . some people would disagree. Maybe it’s me with no fashion sense!

There have been few times when I have been so glued to the TV as I have been today. From 1960-1975 we were involved in the Vietnam war – it was a time when I would watch the updates every evening on the news to see how many more of our boys were killed in a firefight – and by ‘our boys’, I mean guys that I knew and went to school with. I know of at least half a dozen of them that didn’t come home alive, and a lot of them didn’t come home the same! There were 58,000 Americans killed and another 304,000 injured. In 1963, a very popular and beloved President Kennedy was assassinated, and we watched in disbelief the happenings of that day and days to follow. In 1965 civil unrest took the streets of the Watts area in Los Angeles, Ca.; in 1968, another assassination, this time Robert F. Kennedy. In 1981 Princess Diana wed Prince Charles in a fairytale wedding. In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded upon takeoff and all on board were killed. In 1989 the Berlin Wall is taken down to the cheers of many and marked the end of the Cold War; the Gulf War in 1991; the death of Princess Diana in 1997; the unthinkable act of terrorism upon the United States of America with the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 and the resulting Operation Enduring Freedom war on Afghanistan. These are all major happenings that have held my attention – Not to down play natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami in Indonesia, but was I so disinterested or unaware of other important times in History?

I was especially moved by words from the Pastor Rick Warren when he invoked ‘wisdom to lead with humility; courage to lead with integrity; and compassion to lead with generosity.’ Much of Obama's address was almost entirely free of campaign style rhetoric - he talked of "gathering clouds and raging storms" and the need at a time as dire as this one for all Americans to do their part to make the nation great again. He stated that ‘Greatness is never a gift – it must be earned’.

After taking the Oath of Office, he looked forward and waved to the throngs of 2 million plus roaring crowd of people with cannons booming . . . .

And then he said, “So Help Me God”!

The rest of the program was frou-frou. But then, Rev. Lowery stepped up to the podium for the benediction. Loved the perfect ending to a lovely morning with these words:

‘Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. {Stick it to the White Man...}. That all those who do justice and love mercy, say Amen’.

They speak of the Peaceful transfer of Power - but the weight of the World is now on Pres. Obama's shoulders. The World is Watching - Welcome to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

P.S. The Man CANNOT slow-dance!!