Aaron finished setting up the video equipment in plenty of time for our guests to watch our new president's inaugural address. About 40 or so people came; friends, family, neighbors and neighbor's family. We laughed, we cried, we cheered. We caught our breath when Obama made pointed referrals to the previous administration's leadership's failures, and shouted agreement when he acknowledged the patriotism and dedication of the rank and file who served their fellow Americans even while under the burden of Bush/Cheney.
We served Martinelli's and champagne, and some light snacks. Of course the cups are compostable and the snacks made by hand. The amphitheater under the willow hummed with hope.
After, a black woman spoke first. "I am so glad to be here. I'd been having a horrible day, and now it's a wonderful day. And although Barack Obama is a black man, I don't think we really see him that way. We see him as a leader who will listen to us. And like he says, running the country is up to all of us. We've got to do the work. But I feel like now there is the opportunity for anyone to have a job if they want one. I feel like we can encourage our children to stay in school, and it's our job to help the schools and the teachers so our children can grow up to be who they want to be."
We all echoed these sentiments. It always has been up to us to do the work. It's been disheartening to see corrupt men like Dick Cheney siphon the cream of our efforts into his friends' hands and even into his own. I feel like the Bush adminstration picked too much fruit and gorged themselves on it, failing to tend the garden of our country, and the garden responded by drying up.
Now we hope we will see an era in which by common effort, all people will prosper.
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