Last evening as the results poured in from all over the country my heart was racing. Could it be true? Did the country really respond to the message of Barak Obama? It seems that the constant work of thousands upon thousands of people, to really make this a country "of the people and by the people" has paid off. And to top it all, we elected the first African American to such an elevated role in our country.
We will never be the same, thank God. The message delivered over 40 years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial has come true..."Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."
So, as I sat with my daughters watching history unfold before their eyes, I was a proud father. First, at the interest all my kids had in this election. From my son's voting for the very first time, to my youngest daughter's personal engagement in the electoral process to my soon to be HS grad who has read every political article she could find. This is not an indifferent generation. They care. They count. They will change the world.
Second, I was proud because for the first time in my life, I feel that I can say that I fulfilled the Kenyan proverb which I have held so dear that the world was not bequeathed by my ancestors, it was loaned to me by my children. After last night I feel we can say that we have given our children a world with greater promise and hope. The audacity of it all...
Last night, or early this morning, I was proud. Proud to be a part of a country that could step outside of our past to seize this moment. I am a proud American and I feel that last night was a rebirth of the American spirit.
"My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty"
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