As we all know, today is a big day in America . . . it is the day that the first black man will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America. I still don't know how to feel about it. President Elect Barack Obama was not the man that I voted for on November 4th, 2008. In the first few days after the election, there were a range of emotions that wore me down. In the end, the stance I chose was . . . as my husband stated during various pre-election discussions with friends and family, "If Barack Obama is elected to be the President of USA, and as that office is one that I respect and honor, I will respect and honor him." So the big day is here . . . and I'm very emotional, something I wasn't expecting. It's not exciting for me, instead there is an extreme sense of sadness. There were tears falling from my eyes as I watched a snippet of the Good Morning America show this morning. It's very hard to explain because it's hard for me to understand what I'm feeling, and there is almost a sense of shame.
The snippet was about the "Tuskegee Airmen" the first African American pilots, of which Robin Robert's (GMA hostess) late father was part of. It was a history lesson for me.
It feels like it's going to be a very long day for me. I'm off to drop off my middleschooler at school. The tv will probably be on all day, just not as much as when the kids are home. We've already chatted a little about today's event, but it just doesn't seem appropriate to allow them to see my grieving. I end this entry with a prayer asking that God protect Obama and his family today and throughout his presidency, that President Bush and his family would know they are loved and appreciated for their service to this country, and that Americans would use this historic moment in history to do, as well as think only good towards each other. In God we trust . . . Amen.
