the sound of the glass ceiling...breaking

I went to bed last night anxious, and, hopeful.
Not a good combination for a worry-wart like me.
I couldn't take the waiting.
and waiting.
and waiting.
It was killing me.
So I went to bed.

I woke up this morning at 5:25...6 hours ahead of the east coast.
Roughly 15 minutes before President-Elect Obama made his magnificent victory speech.
A magnificent victory speech delivered in the same park where, 40 years ago at the Democratic Convention, riots broke out.
The significance of that location wasn't lost on me-or anyone in my family for that matter-my father said that was the beginning of the unbearable bipartisan divide that our country has been held hostage by in the years since.

My family.
Who I called, immediately afterwards, to share in the amazing moment happening before us.

It was a morning for us that we took in
minute by minute,
word by word.

I got to school and saw my colleagues
smiling
laughing
celebrating!

And then the children came flooding down the first grade hallway.
The joyful sound of small people-
"Obama"
"He won"
"Obama is"
"the first"
"Black President!"

"He looks like me."

He looks like me!
I thought my heart was going to explode-
all the promise-
all the wonder-
all the potential-
all in the beautiful little faces,
the culturally diverse spectrum of our future.
So small, yet so vital...

All day I was brought back to my own familial happiness-thrilled for my own children-thrilled beyond my wildest dreams
our son who will vote in his first presidential election in 2012,
our daughter who already has political plans of her own,
our youngest son who believes that all world citizens...people...all should be free.

With the splinters of glass on the floor around us, tonight I know that with hard work and a belief that anything IS possible, anything can happen.
anything.

I hope that in this administration, these beautiful visions of our future can find
inspiration,
joy,
motivation,
hope,
all these things and more.
"Guten Morgen Mister President! Machten Sie die Welt Besser!"
(the headline on one of our German newspapers:
"Good Morning Mr. President, You make the world better!" )

umarmen und lieben
essie