Mr. President, We've Been Waiting For You
I can't express how I feel without sounding overly sentimental--but here goes.
My plan yesterday was to pick up E from school yesterday and to take her with me to the polls so I could vote. But when my parents offered to watch the babies for me, I decided that I wouldn't waste any time and I hastened over to the local polling place and cast my vote, overcome with emotion before I had even left the car.
It was time to vote and posted in the number one spot: Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I cast my vote, checking over and over to make certain I hadn't made any errors (and really, it's so easy, I couldn't have but still...). I walked out of the polling place, patting down my "I VOTED" sticker and choked back tears.
I can't explain just how momentous this felt to me--how charged the air felt yesterday.
I called M immediately and said that before he voted, he had to pick up E. She's only 3 and has no idea what has happened but it was important to me that she be part of this moment--if only to hold her father's hand as he cast his vote for president.
The rest of the night was spent phoning my family back and forth, anxious and eager to hear the news that night. My sister and I mocked my mother-in-law who informed my mother that she has never once voted in an election, laughingly claiming she's a communist. I had more than one name for her in my mind and communist was not one of them. My mother than told her that she had made certain to vote and that if one doesn't vote, she shouldn't complain.
Then my sister-in-law arrived proudly declaring how she had not voted, never had, because she's "not into politics" and that she wasn't a fan of either candidate. What I WANTED to say was: Let's be honest here--you didn't educate yourself on the candidates or issues and are now going to claim you're not into politics. You're ignorant. Plain and simple. Don't give me some crap about not liking the candidates. I would have respected her a lot more if she had just said that she hadn't followed anything and therefore could not make an educated decision. THAT I could have tolerated. Oh and btw, the minute you say, "I'm not racist but..." YOU'RE bound to say something frickin' stupid.
Last night, I stared at the screen and saw the numbers jump well past 270 and I started to cry. I was just so happy, so moved, so proud. I looked at that Grant Park Rally downtown here in Chicago and I was so, so happy to look out at that sea of faces and see black and white, young and old faces. It spoke of such UNITY -- I was so... proud. Proud and overcome with emotion. I immediately woke M and together we sat and listened to Obama speak, knowing this man, our new leader was merely 20 minutes from our home.
History in the making. That's what everyone is saying, of course. A defining moment. I'm so glad, so very very glad to have been a part of this. But more importantly, I hope that we as country make some positive strides.
I have never been one to pray for the well being of my president, but that will change now. Yes, it will.