Celebrating Barack Obama's Inauguration

There is an overwhelming sense of excitement, anticipation, relief and hope as President-Elect Barack H. Obama presents himself to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. An ocean of people have swarmed the inauguration site. People, although very cold, are smiling from ear to ear.

The more I have learned about this man, the more I marvel that he is certainly a man for our times. Born of both white and black parents, educated in Hawaii and Indonesia as a boy. Married to a black woman who descends from both American slaves and American slave owners. Educated at Harvard, related by blood to Kenya in Africa. Tall, lean, energetic, charismatic, articulate, visionary, humorous, loving, the list goes on. It occurs to me that indeed he could not exist as we know him if it had not also been for the last eight years of George W. Bush's abominable and despicable presidency. We would not be as "alert and awake" had it not been for the past eight years.

I look forward to working with President Obama's vision for a renewed commitment to integrity.