Major transition today

Well, we knew today was coming. I knew today was coming. There was no avoiding it, but it still proved more difficult than I had anticipated.

Today was the day that Jean went back to work. (Oh, and there was the Inauguration, too. More on that later. :) And today was the day I went back to being Mr. Mom for at least two days a week. Only this time it's with four little munchkins. What a transition! This morning Andrew was lying next to me in our bed while Jean was getting ready to go back to work after her 3-month maternity hiatus. He said, "Maybe this day we should take some flowers to Mommy." Who needs any more prompting than that? So after picking up Caleb and Andrew from school, we all headed down to take some lillies to Momma at work (and to use our trip as an excuse to let all of ladies at Jean's work see Emma for the first time and to let them in on our cute little Casanova :). Mission accomplished!

I say all this to say that it's been a little difficult to keep up with the Inaugural festivities while I adjust to this very significant transition in our normal weekly routine. (We all miss Mommy already! :P) When you're under that kind of pressure, there is nothing more important going on in your world. My apologies for the delay in providing some reaction to the inauguration today.

But, alas, there are other important things happening today--this historic Inauguration ceremony ushering in not only the first African-American president, but more importantly, a new era. And it remains to be seen just what era will evolve from this pomp and circumstance. Nearly two years ago, this laborious journey began. But that was the easy part. Now  comes the actual job of being the leader of the free world, a job I wouldn't wish on anyone.

As I was monitoring the coverage of the events of today, it was evident that there was an understandable euphoria permeating the crowd of 2 million+ who crowded the Washington mall. As expected, however, the liberal talking heads who pervaded the coverage throughout the day (and all of the Hollywood celebrities they interviewed) presumptively assumed that the whole country is equally euphoric about Obama as president (a feeling that those who didn't support George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 can presumably relate to), but there will be plenty of time to highlight the idealogical differences that many people (at least 58 million voters) have with President Obama's governing philosophy.

Today is a day of celebration. As many people have commented, today stands as a grand reminder of this great country's ability to facilitate a transfer of power that does not involve violent takeovers or assassinations. It is a testament to the durability and exceptional nature of our democratic Republic. Something we so often take for granted.

I can't begin to imagine what this day means for the scores of African-Americans who bear a legacy very much unlike my own. I will never understand just how deeply this day touches them. But I can understand the theme that resonated among so many African-Americans who were interviewed throughout the day. Namely, from children to parents to grandparents the message was one of hope, not as much on a national level (though there was that), but more so on a personal level. No longer are African-Americans left to wonder if they can actually achieve their dreams. The improbable journey of Barack Obama, showed them, their children, and their grandchildren, that indeed anything is possible. And if nothing else comes from his presidency, that realization will have made this a worthwhile journey.

If you missed President Obama's inaugural speech, you can read/hear the full speech here. For other observations about the event, I'll simply direct you to TyKef's Blog, whose initial impressions reflect my own, as well as, some of the comments I received here at The Daily Detour from some of our readers. The following came from one of our readers across the pond:

firstly congratulations on your new president. I am wondering how the leftist, liberal democrats were appreciating the number of references to God in Obama's speech. I found his appeal to your forefathers and what they endured to build your fledgling new democracy quite inspiring but what he is forgetting is that most but not all of your founding fathers had a christian perspective on life and it was that which created the unity that was necessary to endure those hardships. I think he will find it hard to forge that unity in modern America with such a diversity of worldviews. Anyway no doubt there will be something on your blog tomorrow so I look forward to what you have to say.

And one of our readers closer to home mirrored many of my own thoughts and picked up on the exact part of Obama's speech which especially stood out to me ("all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness"). The email begins,

Much like the last charismatic, democratic President, this new president certainly has the ability to marshal his faithful. There is an awful lot to like about our new president especially when he is behind a microphone. The true test will be when his feet are put to the fire and he has to truly make decisions and hold fast to the promises he made on the campaign trail and this one in his speech today:

“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.”

One of my enduring questions through this entire process is, will he have the ability to actually end programs?

But this was the one that particularly caught my attention:

“..the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness…”

Not to rain on the man’s parade, but only time will tell if he truly means “all”, or only those we “choose” truly deserve a chance.

A new day dawns, a new era is upon us.  It was certainly time for a change, let’s just hope that at least some of it is good.

I would echo that sentiment, the hope that the promised change translates into positive impact on our country. Time will tell, but in the meantime, we can all come together to acknowledge the gravity and symbolism of this day. And as one of our guest writers here at TDD reminded us on the day after Obama's election in November, it is imperative we Christians follow the biblical mandate to pray for our leaders, and first among them, now President Barack Obama.

UPDATE: Here's how the Political Machine graded the inauguration festivities. Surprise to many, President Bush was closer to the top than the bottom. :)

UPDATE: In trying to read between the lines of Obama's inaugural address and understand what he actually meant by what he said, Cal Thomas raises some very interesting thoughts.

Comments

[Abby]

I am surprised you didn't mention Rick Warren's prayer. It gave me chills and I thought brought things into perspective for hopefully most Believers. Yesteday was a beautiful day for our country. Our children will grow up knowing that any person can achieve greatness-no matter the color of his/her skin. This is especially neat for Scott and I as we hope to bring our son from Haiti home this year- the 1st year a man of color is the President!