well said

One of my current daily reads is the blog of a witty, irreverant woman who writes about her daily life in such a way as to at various times simultaneously shock, inspire, move, amuse, and even offend me; she's a very sharp, and very funny (most of the time), writer.

One of the things she does is write a monthly newsletter to her daughter and publish it on her blog. This month's letter was posted today (in honor of her daughter, Leta's, 57th month of life) and she wrote about yesterday's elections so beautifully, that I absolutely have to share her words with all of you:

"Finally, I wanted to talk to you about what happened last night, how your father and I and millions of other people across the country helped elect the first African American president. Leta, you are so lucky to have been born in an era where this is possible, in a time where generations have come together to stop the sick cycle of bigotry that has been passed down from fathers to sons, mothers to daughters, where we have finally stood up and said, enough, we are more civilized than all of that. I have never been more proud to be an American than I am today, and when you are old enough to understand the significance of this election, when years from now you ask me where I was when I found out that Barack Obama had won, I'll tell you that while there were millions of people dancing in the streets and gathered at parties, thousands more across the world chanting in impromptu parades, I was sitting on the couch next to your father, our fingers intertwined, the two of us alone with the dogs asleep at our feet. The television was an eruption of noise and chaos, but we sat there quietly absorbing the moment, worried that if we blinked we'd wake up out of a dream.There have been moments today when I haven't believed it, have worried that I imagined everything. Having grown up in the South I didn't ever think this could happen, not when I and so many of my peers had so much indoctrination to overcome, years of being intentionally and sometimes unintentionally taught by seemingly well-meaning superiors that the color of your skin makes you different. And yet, while this election is a firm rejection of that kind of thinking, it's also about how this man brought so many people together and inspired us by his example to focus not on bickering or hurt feelings or the vast divide of our differences, but on rolling up our sleeves and looking for a way to bridge that chasm. And Leta, I finally feel like we may have the momentum to change and fix so much of what has gone wrong — from economics to the environment, to health care and humanitarian disasters — that instead of leaving your generation with a burden almost impossible to climb, there is hope that we may in fact leave you with a world that is better than the one you were born into. I know I am not alone when I say that my vote in this election was as much for his vision as it was for you and your future."

Well said, Heather, well said. You can read her blog, Dooce, here.

i have never, in all my life...

Been so whole-heartedly inspired by a politician. Last night I, along with millions of people around the world, watched a man we can all believe in, become the 44th president of the United States. It was an amazing experience.

Kevin and I wanted to feel like a part of it all so we gathered with a few friends at a local bar to chit-chat and watch CNN. It was a great moment when, as soon as the West Coast polls had officially closed, CNN announced their projection that Obama had won. There were whoops, cheers, clapping, and yes, tears, in a bar full of hopeful, happy people on a historic Tuesday night. Since the somewhat grumpy bartender (maybe he was rooting for McCain) would not turn up the volume on the televisions, and Kevin and I didn't want to miss Obama's acceptance speech, we said goodbye to our friends and hurried home where we watched coverage of the various celebrations from across the country and around the globe. We sat together on the couch, holding on to each other, eyes wide, hearts bursting with pride, joy, hope, trepidation. It was a moment I will always remember. I was overcome with emotion from the sense of being a part of such a huge, world-wide, beautiful, inspiring, unifying moment. What a feat for one man to be able to bring the world together like he has.

I feel a shift, a change, a certain bounce in everyone's step and I am more hopeful about the future of our world than I have dared to allow myself to be during these uncertain times. It is a joyous, yet serious, time. We are on the brink of something potentially great, something healing, some necessary and vital change in the world. It is a time to hold up the leaders that actually have the capacity and integrity to lead, and to support, encourage, and watch them. We must hold our new leader, and all our other leaders,accountable and we must all do our part to work toward the type of world we wish to live in - we must hold ourselves accountable. I thought Obama's acceptance speech (and McCain's concession speech, for that matter) was thoughtful and important, and it moved and inspired me.

We all play a part, we all have a sphere in which we can create change, in which we can influence things toward the positive, and now is the time to begin the hard work ahead of us; may we all do our best from this moment, moving forward. Our very very best.

Photo from here.

the world for obama '08

YES, we can.

*Art by Shepard Fairey

yes, we can

this blog officially endorses...

Barack Obama for president! Yes, it's true, first Oprah and now me.

Today, Kevin and I went to a rally in downtown Minneapolis to hear Obama speak and it was AWESOME! 20,000 people were there in support of a man they feel they can really stand behind, a man that gives them a reason to believe in the possibility of change. It was an amazing experience. The doors to the Target Center (where the Timberwolves play) opened at 1:30 and when Kevin and I arrived at around 1:15 pm there was a line stretching out around blocks and blocks for about 1.5 miles.

We walked all the way to the end of the line and waited for 2 hours (on a 20 degree day) with about 15,000 other very optimistic Obama supporters, never thinking that we would actually make it into the arena. At 3:30 we finally made it inside!

Here are some pictures from the rally, and a picture Kevin took of me on a winter walk a few days ago next to an Obama poster full of all that cheesy, yet oddly inspirational, political rhetoric we all love.

Bottom line, whether you agree with my choice of candidate or not, please VOTE. It's our sacred duty. Seriously.