Today I am Awed, Humbled and Hopeful!

What a wild ride it has been!

Yesterday morning I took my daughter by the hand and lead her to the polls.  I explained to her that she was watching history being made.  Right now, she just saw volunteers selling muffins and senior citizens handing out ballots.  But one day she would understand that what she was seeing was all of us coming together and changing the world.

I explained to her that by electing Barack Obama we would set the stage for a new world! 

I was met with a blank stare and a question, "Can I get a piece of candy?"

My passionate dissertation was beaten to dust by a senior citizen offering my daughter a Rollo!

Oh well.

On my way to work I saw a car in front of me.  It was FESTOONED with McCain/Palin stickers.  Now here's the thing.  My car is FESTOONED with Obama/Biden stickers!  For every sticker he had supporting McCain, I matched him with one for Obama.  He pulled into the next lane...fell behind for a while...and ended up next to me at the red light.  He was even wearing a camoflaged McCain hat!  And I was wearing Obama/Biden earrings!  We were even accesorized.  And I couldn't help notice that as a woman of color...he was a white man...HE WAS THE ANTI-ME!!

He rolled down his window and said "Excuse me..."

I thought this could go be really funny or end really badly...on the news...with me calling friends for bail money.

I braced myself and waited for his barrage of expletives claiming Barack Obama to be a socialist, terrorist, Arab Muslim....or other such nonsense that has been spread around over the last 21 months!  I took a deep breath and waited... "Yes?"

"Good luck today!"

"You too!"

Wow...I though it would be a good day.

Later that evening I took my mother to cast her vote.  I tried to explain the significance of the moment to my daughter once again.  This time I lost to a fun sized Hershey bar!

I spent the night at a friends house.  We all piled into her living room wearing pajamas, watching election coverage and eating the most wonderful Pakistani food!  We were nervous, but hopeful!

We watched the polls close....electoral votes were counted...we prayed...we held hands....and finally...we received word that Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United Sates.

We screamed, we hugged, we cried, we texted!

We were there when the world changed!  We watched with awe as this nation evolved into a new reality!  I was humbled that whatever higher power there is chose my life time for this to happen.  I am humbled that I was lucky enough to witness this.

And although on this day I kept losing to candy....I know that in the future, my daughter will look back on this day and know she was a part of it.  She watched her mother, a single mother and a woman of color, cast her vote.  She watched her grandmother, a senior citizen and a naturalized citizen cast her vote.  She watched us, along with countless others, change the world.

And although we have a long road a head of us....I HAVE HOPE!!

We can....We did...and We will!