Obama Inauguration Brings Us Hope

Today the United States welcomed her 44th Commander in Chief, Barack Obama. I watched as much of the inauguration ceremony as I could, from pre-ceremony crowd gathering to the administration of the Oath of Office, to the parade and this evening's balls.

Historically I haven't been enough of a political wonk to watch every presidential broadcast, much less glue myself to the TV. State of the Union address? Yawn - too many interruptions by legislators clapping wildly after every sentence. Presidential press conferences - yammer, yammer, yammer.

As I've gotten older, the topics have become more pertinent and of increasing personal interest, so I'm attentive. Yet I watch today, not out of practicality but because I have hope for the future. The Obama inauguration is history in the making; the festivities have an aura of optimism that has long been missing from our national political landscape.

Much work lies before us and the focus will be on our newly inaugurated president. May we be patient and as willing to be part of the solutions, as we are to be critical of the problems.

God bless President Obama and God bless the United States of America.