Hello, bloggers!

Rose and I have set aside all day Tuesday to glue ourselves to the television for the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

We really believe that this is a pivotal time in our country.  We want to experience it completely, so that we can always say that “we were there,” electronically if not physically.  We flip between all the channels to get all the different spices of the phenomenon of democracy.

It constantly amazes me, when we travel around the world, that there are many countries where, when there is a change of government, many people do not survive.  And what’s very telling, I believe, to the world:  that one of the great events of our country is the peaceful transferring of power.

We have great expectations that the United States will finally come together, which is what we’re all about as a nation.  As citizens, we’re always pissing and moaning about something, always hopeful, always complaining, debating, accepting, challenging, loving one another, and going on to our destiny—which is to see if people can really live together as one, even with such a diverse population of color, sexual orientation, religion, outlooks, culture, and languages, and still call ourselves Americans.

I believe it’s very possible.  We have always been able to come out of whatever adversity faced us, because of our ability to mutate, change, and accept.  Maybe I’m Pollyanna to think that, but I lived that way, and if I’m lucky, I’m going to die that way.  Just remember Little Orphan Annie:  “The sun’ll come out tomorrow!”

Matt