Living History

Strider's House is a comfortable place for loved ones to join us by our virtual fire and connect. Our visitors are a diverse group. Today I know that some are joyous and excited, some are cautiously hopeful, some are disappointed, nervous, and even frightened.

We do not know what kind of president Obama will be, what he will do, and whether his administration will meet the expectations of the hopeful, the frightened, or both. What I do know right now is that we are all living one of those rare moments in history when we have the privilege of knowing that at this moment the world changed. At this moment the possible became the actual. I am in deep wonder and gratitude about what that means for my children, for their generation, and for the generations to follow them.

We kept Moolah up last night to see the first speech of the first African-American President-Elect. She understands that there is a new president, and that means he is the boss of the shape we point to on a map, although that is not nearly as important to her as the fact that she got to play her computer game long after her brother went to bed. She won't remember or feel this moment in the way that we do. But, I sat there, with her on my lap, deeply appreciative that they will live in a world where a non-white-male president is history and not just opportunity. As a child, I was told, and believed that I could do many things with my life. I did not consciously feel barriers as a girl or think that boys were inherently more qualified for anything (well, probably except professional sports). But there is something that feels different to me, that I value for my children, about the acknowledgement of equality that is evidenced by the historic vote of millions.

George Washington was always going to be a historically significant president because he was the first. I believe he was also good at the job and did many things that still serve our country well. I sincerly hope that Barack Obama will remembered for his leadership, not his ancestry, and that he will be worthy of his position in history. Today, we only know the part about the history. The rest will have to wait.