thankful for certainty

there were many things to be thankful for last nite, as the hours passed and the election results trickled in. i was thankful for decent coverage of the returns [diane! charlie! george!] thankful to all those interviewed for being cautious with their predictions, yet still acknowledging the excitement and importance of what was likely to occur at the end of the evening. i'm thankful for certainty -- for finding out at 11:00 EST, with cold hard numbers and facts to back it up, that obama had been elected president; thankful for knowing that i wouldn't wake up in the morning with the rug having been pulled out from underneath us during the night. i'm [belatedly, as i watched it this morning] thankful for jon stewart, stephen colbert and the staffs of their shows for being both funny and intelligent and not compromising either virtue in their coverage of the evening [and the whole election, really]; for being respectful. i'm thankful to charles ogiltree for saying, "two skinny guys from illinois that made a difference...abe lincoln and barack obama." i'm thankful for this picture [via people.com,] because it says it all. it conveys the relief, the anticipation, the excitement, the love, the respect, the glee that all those who hoped for this outcome are feeling at the moment.






one of my favorite parts of this election has been watching michele obama as she watches her husband and her best friend speak to the masses, imparting the promise of hope to all of us [because regardless of how you voted, we all need to have hope for a better future.] she believes in him. she's proud of him. i think of my boyfriend, my friends and my family and how i often feel proud of them for various things, and what a great emotion it is. and i cannot imagine how much michele obama's heart has been swelling over the past two years, watching with pride and with awe as her husband rose to this incredible challenge; i cannot imagine how they must feel today. [and i'm hoping she got to keep that dress from last nite; totally great.] there is so much significance here, for a great many reasons. i'm excited for my niece and nephew and all kids who will see this turnaround in the political and social dynamic of the country firsthand, and grow up with a difference sense of 'normal' because of it. because it has been long, long overdue. there is much work to be done, but for the first time in eight years it feels as though we have a chance to enact change. i'm thankful that we, as a country, realized that and worked toward making it possible.

i'm thankful to have been a part of this process, however minute.