Last week I was ever so grateful to be a resident of the District of Columbia. Yes, it was out of control busy, but I also got to roam the streets with millions of strangers who had united with a common purpose and excitement.
The inauguration festivities started off on Sunday with a concert at the Lincoln Memorial celebrating the President-elect Barack Obama. I was standing with friends between the Washington Monument and the WWII Memorial, with thousands and thousands of people in front of us. It was freezing cold, but totally worth standing outside. The concert was great, which we mainly watched from the huge screens put up on the mall, but the excitement in the air was incredible. Chants filled the mall "O-Ba-Ma," there were readings from Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and Reagan's (?) speeches.
Monday night I volunteered at the New Mexico State Ball. It was held in the Native American Museum. I met new friends there and had an overall wonderful time participating in a ball. There were a total of 14 bolo tie sightings and a woman who made her dress completely out of Obama signs.
Tuesday my roomies and I woke up early to leave our house at 6:00 am to get to the mall and in our places for the inauguration. The crowd was ridiculous, there were people everywhere and it was fabulous. It again was brutally cold and it took us 3 hours to get through security. Many, I am told, didn't get in. I have never seen that many people united for a single purpose. Tears were shed by many as President Obama took his oath of office. We were fortunate to be in a decent standing section.
My favorite thing about our new President is his ability to unite people. He has a gift of getting people to be active in their communities and I feel he has the opportunity to mobilize people to help themselves and each other. I feel he showed this during his campaign and I hope he can continue to motivate the Country.
I really liked this line from President Obama's speech:
"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."
2 comments:
Sounds like a fun time! I'm jealous that you made it to the concert! I heard it was AMAZING!
That's awesome to be a part of something like that. Oh, the perks of living in the CITY! Pretty sure it's not enough to make me want to leave MONTANA, but cool all the same!
What church leaders did you see?
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