Looking Back at the Inauguration

Thank you for joining me during the four days I spent in Washington, D.C. It was an awesome time and it is hard to believe a month has flown by. I regret that I couldn’t post more pictures because the internet lines were soooo clogged. Sir was very sweet to stay up with me to the wee hours of the morning so I could post what I did! Just a few reflections I have left floating in my head:

Favorite line: While touring the Lincoln Exhibit at the History Museum a pre-teen girl asked her mother, “Do they have a video of when Abraham Lincoln was shot?” Her mother showed so much patience (as she rolled her eyes) and explained “Honey, they didn’t have videos back then.” The girl, looking perplexed, replied “Oh yeah.”

Favorite Moment: Several times I felt so insignificant. I was just one lone person on the vast and mostly empty street. Sure, Limos and Black SUV’s double parked outside the entrance of our hotel with body guards in and out the front doors helping the “important” people to their designated cars. But me? Just one more onlooker. But as I walked closer to The Mall, hundreds and thousands walked with me, side-by-side, with a purposeful march in our souls. Alone we were one, possibly insignificant, but together we made up an army. Together we became the important people. Thousands of us standing side-by-side, thousands of us crying for change, thousands of us witnessing history, thousands of us chanting together for a new song. At that moment, I knew in my heart, that each of us can make a difference. What ever our political beliefs or socioeconomic status, we can make a difference in the world around us.

Never before have I been in a situation where so many “kinds” of Americans have come together feeling united not divided. Open, honest, polite, kind-hearted people of all different ages, colors, social stations and political positions came together. The fur-wearing third generation Washingtonian we met at Starbucks; the over dressed and really cold gentleman I stood next to during the parade; the cold, hungry, tired young boy who sat behind us during the parade; and the women who arrived at 4:00 am and froze just to get a seat at the inauguration. Everyone was full of questions. Where are you from? How long have you been here? Are you going to any parties? Balls? Do you have a seat at the inauguration? Did you see the parade? People in the past I would have possibly just walked right by or dismissed - now they were of kindred spirit.

However, flying home was a letdown. Leaving Baltimore, I still felt the buzz of the week. We all had a purpose – getting home from the historic week. Everyone was tired and cold but full of stories they wanted to share with those around them. Once we arrived in Chicago, we separated, getting on different planes to our final destinations, setting beside those who had not been there and didn’t care. Once again, I felt alone and possibly insignificant. But I closed my eyes and reminded myself that all of us can make a difference.

Chapters In Life

Snuggled in my overstuffed chair with the sun streaming through the window pane, I finished the last pages of a book I started months ago. Now I feel like I have lost a best friend. You see, I started this series nine years ago. When I found out this was the last book in the series, I was heartbroken; I read the book with patience, one chapter at a time. Every several weeks I picked up the book only to put it back down again, forcing the ending out even longer.
I ask myself, do we live our lives the same way? We are so excited in the beginning, racing through the books, not wanting to wait and see what happens. Then, as we realize our last chapters are drawing near, we slow down, refusing to acknowledge that the last chapter will soon be read.

I guess I am thinking about Daughter 1 and Daughter 2 as I write. Birth: book one. The toddler phase: book two. Now, I am drawing to the end of the series for Daughter 1. I look at her senior year of high school as her last book in the series – “Raising Daughter 1.” Every day, I turn another page in this last novel, dreading the final chapter. Whether or not I want to face the truth, the novel will end. However, a large part of me can’t wait to read about the dramatic conclusion!

But what brings me hope? There are many books; there are many equally good series. Yes, this series might be over, but knowing Daughter 1, I am assured of an amazing new series – fun, fatigue, frustration, excitement, adventure, tears, joy, disappointment and love. I guess I have a lot to look forward to!

Thank God for Daughter 2, for she has several books left in her series that will provide hours of reading - pages to turn and chapters to finish. But this time, I will be diligent in reading the chapters a little slower.

P.S. The series I just finished – Jan Karon’s Mitford Series.

We all love to read!!!