Our future...

Obama won last night!  He is president, and whether you voted for him or not, we all must take a moment to reflect that we just witnessed a monumental moment in history.  

*time to absorb*

Do you grasp that?  Good, okay.  

Now I am not the most educated person on politics, not even close.  Although, I must pat myself on the back, this was the closest I have ever followed any election, and the most informed I have ever been.  I did not, and do not know all of the intricacies about Obama's political agendas or policies, but I do know enough that, deep down, I feel hope and promise in the outcome.  

I know many people are still maintaining the same disappointment, expressing the same sentiments they have for every election, that their vote was just "the lesser of two evils, neither was a very good candidate".  They only voted because it was expected of them, or they did not vote.  But this time, I have to beg to disagree.  Regardless of my lack of in depth knowledge, I must say that I feel this time was different.  This time is different. 

On election day, I must say something shocked me, and dare I say, down right disturbed me. The majority of people I ran into that day were for McCain.  My generation??  I couldn't fathom this.  After we have first hand, witnessed how much destruction Bush has been able to do in his eight year reign of idiocy and terror, my generation, the new voices of America, were pro McCain?  They were seriously willing to elect another Bush?  (side note: I do not say this simply because he is republican.  Give me another Abraham Lincoln and I will gladly vote for him.  I refer to McCain as the third coming of Bush because in my limited knowledge of the two campaigns, I have reasonable knowledge to believe that McCain and Palin had taken a page out of President Bush's book.)  Needless to say terror ran through my veins, uncertainty filled my mind.  Could this election go in a direction I did not count on?  

I found solace in the few friends of mine that were democratic, and we banded together in a little dorm room, which we referred to as the "Democratic room." (because almost quite literally, or at least in our minds, we were the only Democrats in the dorm)  There we sat, through the five hour long process, and found comfort in seeing that over half of America had not completely lost their minds.  Needless to say you all know the results:  We, for once, did not repeat the past.  

My fellow Obama supporters and I did a victory lap outside, watched his speech, and went to bed.  

I will never forget the place or date or people I was with, on the day Obama was elected president, the day that will be marked down in the history books.  I do not take for granted what yesterday meant.  One day when my grandchild comes to me and says "Grandma, we're learning about President Obama in history class.  Did you know he was the first African American man ever elected President?"  I will reply, "Yes, I was there." And when she asks me "who did you vote for?"  I can confidently answer her, "I made a vote for change.  I made the choice that made a difference."

It still blows my mind today how far America has come.  I have sat through history classes, I have learned of the past.  Who would have ever guessed that this moment would have ever come.  So much change.  This is not just a matter of race, although I believe this is a huge step towards humanity for America, who started as a slave nation, yet evolved into a country with the first ever African American President.  This fact is not to go unnoticed.  But also what change!  We, for once did not fall into the same old rut.  We have just now altered our recent history, which details America's fall from grace.  America can now reshape and rebuild our identity.  No longer will we shame our forefathers, no longer will we shame ourselves.  

Yes it will take sometime, as Obama said in his speech last night: "It may not be able to be done in a year, or in one term."  But the point is, he will lay the foundation for the long awaited rehabilitation of the United States of America.  He is headed in a new direction.  I have hope.