I've been thinking for several days that this would be the day that I finally had something to say.
Turns out this was the day I watched CNN for...oh...about 15 hours. And even after soaking in all that inaugural love, I still don't seem to have many words.
I am excited. Proud. Hopeful. Anxious. Wondering how the Obama's are still functioning after the day they've had.
But more than anything, I think I am still just surprised at how strongly I feel about our new president. I literally have visceral reactions when he speaks and when I watch how others respond to him. Clearly it's not just me who feels this way, it's just that I never expected to feel so inspired by a politician. More than 2 months later, I still get chills when I watch them call the election. I suspect I will feel the same way every time I watch him waiting in the wings to step onto the platform. He looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I immediately wept for him and the incredible challenges he is up against.
I am grateful to say that at least for today, I feel like both Republicans and Democrats (and the entire world, really) HOPE that he will be successful. I know there will be bumps in the road, and I am preparing myself for the day that he will do something I wrinkle my nose at (what? It could happen), but on this Tuesday night, I am simply...
Happy.
P.S. Have I already mentioned that I have shaken his hand? I have? Hmmm...well...have YOU shaken his hand?
P.P.S. Today after about the 7th hour of coverage, Keaton built a block tower and then said to me, "Mom, is Barack Obama coming to this house (pointing to his tower) today?"
"I don't think so, Keaton. He's pretty busy."
And then a few hours later when there was a knock at the door, "Mom! It's Barack Obama knocking!"
Oh, and be sure to ask Rylan who the White House Chief of Staff is;)
27 comments:
If you hadn't blogged about the inauguration, I would seriously have been disappointed! I was also glued to the TV yesterday - although not quite for 15 hours. By the time they got to the parade it was 11:00 p.m. and that's when I called it a night. I really loved President Obama's speech. I truly hope that his presidency is a good one. Oh, and I also loved the musical number right before the swearing in. I DO NOT know how they were able to play in such cold weather. When my fingers are cold they just don't move. It was very impressive.
Emma,
I was thinking about you during that whole number! I kept saying, "I bet Emma's fingers are freezing just watching this." It was wonderful though -- I wonder if it will be available on iTunes?
I haven't watched any of it yet. It's recorded and I'll be sitting down to some sweet inaugural love later on today while Cam is in preschool and Sophie's sleeping and Miles is on a playdate.
I was glued to the t.v. all day too! His speech was very moving and how does he always stay so calm and collected?? He is amazing at keeping his emotions in check. It was a great day in our nation's history and I am as hopeful as anyone and expect that if anyone can turn this country around, it is him.
I didn't vote for him, and I worry about the direction some of his policies may take this country. But I hope my worries will prove to be unfounded and he will turn out to be a highly successful president. I can't deny that he is inspiring when he speaks, and it truly is a great and amazing thing that our nation has finally elected its first black president.
Someone ate my comment. It could have been me -- I've been on a binge lately. Anyway, just wanted you to know I'm happy also too.
It was really cool to watch the inauguration, no doubt about it. It also looked really cold. It did seem as though the mantle of the President had fallen immediately upon Obama-- he looked different... I sure wouldn't want to be in his shoes... and I'll be cheering him on in his endeavors to rescue these perilous times... did I tell you I had a dream that Obama made Claire Chief of Staff? Weird.
I maybe had a dream about Obama too, but...ummm...it maybe isn't super appropriate to share on a blog. Or in person. Or ever.
Don't judge my subconscious thoughts -- his abs took away my agency!
My clock says 12:44am and I just got your email. If you're still on the computer, call me. My hotmail is acting up and won't let me reply.
I refer to him as "The Anointed one." I hope he is the best President that the USA has ever had.
Try not to get confused and think he is the Savior. He is a man and he is a politician. The worshipping of Obama scares me.
Thanks for your concern, JustMe, but I am not "confused" and I do not think he is the Savior. I do not worship Obama, but I believe that if anyone has the leadership skills we need at this time, he does.
Wanna know what scares me? The number of Mormons who immediately fell in love with Romney simply because he was LDS and must therefore be perfect. At least my admiration for Obama is well researched.
I concur (with nicole)
I'm 100% with you, Nicole!
I'm on Nicole's side on this one, too! Who is JustMe?
I have no clue who JustMe is -- one of those brave souls who takes swipes on people's blogs but won't reveal who they are.
How noble.
Hi Nicole! I was also glued to the tv for inauguration crap, but couldn't hear all of it over Emma's periodic spurts of screaming:) But I did hear the speech and I loved it! I also wanted to thank you for the Emma's outfits, and her Sage Green gift bag!! Chrysta made special mention of that! I really appreciate it, though! She's got some growing to do before she gets into them, but I'll take pictures once she does!!
I have no clue who JustMe is -- one of those brave souls who takes swipes on people's blogs but won't reveal who they are.
So what would you like to know? Name, rank, serial number? My age, sex, race, weight? The number of kids I have or how long I've been married? Hell, who knows, I might not even be Mormon. Do you want to know where I'm from or who I've voted for in every Presidential election (and why)? Do you want to know if I wept for EVERY president and the incredible challenges they were up against?
I was not "taking a swipe" at your blog. I was saying that many, many people in America seem to view this man as a savior. I don't believe he is any more special than any other politician in this country, though he is a gifted orator. I certainly can’t help it if “people fell in love with Romney because he was Mormon.” I don’t fall in love with politicians, movie stars, athletes, or blog writers. I would suggest that anyone who falls in love with strangers isn’t too bright to begin with.
You have a PUBLIC blog. If you want only those people who agree with your views to comment, than I would suggest that you do a PRIVATE blog. Otherwise, put on your big girl panties and suck it up.
JustMe:
My panties are on firmly, thanks for the suggestion though.
I never said that only people who agree with me can comment on my blog. In fact, one of my best friends (and regular commenters) disagrees with most of my political views.
What I did NOT appreciate was the unsolicited advice to "try not to get confused" about Obama not being "the Savior".
I am not a stupid person. I am not confused. I do not think he is perfect, and I certainly do not worship the man.
I do not disagree that there are likely many people who do have unrealistic expectations about what one President can do, but where on my blog have I ever seriously said, "We are SAVED! Everything will be perfect now!"?
Furthermore, while I really do believe that everyone has the right to say whatever they want about anyone they want, I do not understand the appeal of adding dissenting opinions on little bitty blogs like mine. This is not some mega-blog where people gather to debate. I read many blogs where the writer HAAATTTES Obama and thinks he is the anti-Christ, and I have never once felt it necessary to add my two cents to the mix, especially when the vast majority of commenters seem to agree with the writer.
Someone asked who you were. Since I don't know, I said, "I don't know." You know an awful lot about me though -- which is fine, as I have made the choice to leave my blog public -- a decision I have no intention of changing.
So, JustMe, although I personally know 99% of the people who stop by this insignificant piece of the internet, I have no problem with anonymous people commenting as long as they play nice and don't accuse me of "worshipping" a man I happen to admire greatly.
I am really sorry that I offended you. I’ve been reading your blog for a long time, and have enjoyed it. I do disagree with your politics, but I support your right to vote for anyone you please.
I was so upset about the flaming I received; I sent the comments to Stephanie (Mormon Child Bride). Steph is blog friend of mine that I have been commenting on for a long time. We totally disagree on politics but have surprising similar views on most other subjects. She vouched for you, said that she actually thought we could be “blog friends”, and said you had received some really nasty hate mail.
It was not my intent to be hateful and I am sorry if you perceived it that way. Since I am also in Georgia, I should send you a basket of peach candles or at least some peach jelly.
I stand on my comments. The adoration of Obama concerns me deeply. When people start adoring/worshipping a political leader things can go bad in a hurry. “Those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it.”
Peace
JustMe,
Thanks for your comment. You really were not hateful in any way, and I will admit to being hypersensitive over political issues on more than one occasion.
The vast majority of my family disagrees with me politically. Add to that being in the Army, in Georgia, and having most of your friends be conservative, and you have a perfect storm for feeling surrounded on all sides. It can get nasty, and I find myself in the defensive mode quite a lot. That is probably the reason I talk so much about politics on my blog -- it's just about my only outlet if I want to avoid confrontations.
In any case, I am sorry that you were upset enough to send the comments to Steph, but I am glad to hear she vouched for me and that you accepted what she said.
I respect your opinion, and even agree with you that worshipping any person is a dangerous thing.
I don't worship Obama. But I will stand by my original comments about how much I admire him, respect him, and believe he is a good man and a good leader. I am relatively young and have not in my lifetime seen a political figure that I have this much faith in, and I know I am not alone.
Peace back at 'ya, and no hard feelings.
Thanks :-)
Now that the elections is over, I can continue to read your blog and laugh often. I'm old enough to be your mom but I love reading about life from many different points of view.
You might have enjoyed Sunday in my RS when I announced to the room:
"I do drugs".
(They are legal and my doctor gives them to me - but it was still fun) BTW - I am in Woodstock, GA.
I honestly did mean it when I said I hope Obama is the best president America has ever had. These are not the worst times that American has faced, but they are certainly the most difficult in many decades.
Obama will need to be wise and strong and will need to listen to both sides of the fence. Now, more than ever, as a country we need to be praying for all of those we have trusted to lead us.
Whew!
I'm glad we can all be friends now. (I'm that conservative best friend...)
And I'm the vast minority friend who yells ROCK ON SISTA to my computer screen.
I'm not sure why admiring, respecting and placing hope in our president is a bad thing and somehow seen as threatening -- particularly when so much of our current financial mess is based on fear, which perpetuates its own messy reality. Doesn't hope motivate people to get involved? Calm fear? Keep trying? Care?
Take it as a high compliment that you are intelligent and well spoken enough to elicit such energetic dialog. Even on your little bitty blog. Also too, people still like the heck out of you anyway.
(Oh man, to think I almost missed this entire exchange. I only scrolled down to bug you for a new post.)
P.S. My word verification is "typow." I'm pretty sure it's fate, because I just got off a 2-hour conference call and I'm not at all motivated to scour this for typos.
Deb,
It's funny that you just posted that, because I was re-reading this thread just a minute ago and thought, "Why IS my admiration dangerous?"
Clearly there have been political leaders who have persuaded their constituents to do horrendous things (*cough* Hitler), but I think at this point that's a rather drastic comparison.
I have heard MANY people say that Obama (and therefore his supporters) "scare" them, and I just totally don't get that at all.
Let's just say the last 2 years have been really interesting for me -- both in defining more clearly what I believe and value, and in recognizing how vastly different seemingly similar people can feel about political issues (did that make sense?)
I've managed to tick-off, mortify, offend, and confuse a large number of people I care about this election cycle. But I have also gained new friends, new perspective, and a new self-esteem by sticking up for what I believe in. I respect anyone who does the same, even if they disagree with me.
Also too, also too,
Amen
Well, I just want to add my two-cents worth and say that I found President Obama's speech inspiring. And I live in Idaho. And was surrounded by other people who also found it inspiring. He spoke to the core of who are are as a people and as a nation. And that means something, in my opinion.
Go Betty!
I've never been scared of Obama himself, btw, and I did find his inaugural speech inspiring.
wow. i need a tums after reading all that.
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