Such a sense of excitement in the air this morning -- pure electricity. I was sitting in a conference room with my colleagues, watching the proceedings and listening to the roar of the crowd from Rockefeller Plaza. After the speech most people filed out, but a few of us stayed to hear the poem and the benediction and the national anthem. During the national anthem I was a little surprised to find that all of us were standing. As far as the speech goes, it wasn't as smooth or soaring as some of his others, but it was forceful and inspiring and realistic. He talked to us like adults. He didn't sugarcoat, but he reminded us of our aspirations. There were a few moments when I felt a lump in my throat -- not only at the words that were said, but at the faces in the crowd, in the fact that so many of our friends and countrymen wanted to endure the cold to witness this occasion. What a fortunate time to be alive. What a wonderful country we are blessed to live in.
I was thinking about how in some parts of the nation, people still keep photos of Bobby Kennedy or JFK or Martin Luther King, Jr. on the wall. I never understood why someone would put the image of a national leader, someone they had probably never even met, inside their home. Today, though, I think I do understand. I've never had as much respect and admiration for a president as I do today. He is an able leader and he is someone to emulate. President Obama: I am so thankful that he is at the helm.
No comments:
Post a Comment