What a difference a day makes
At 10:00 AM, I turned on CNN while I was in front of my computer working and watched the arrivals to the front of the White House. Sometime after 10:30 AM Obama walked outside to a sea of flags waving in the air and resounding cheers, then Dianne Feinstein took to the podium. I remember in San Francisco, when she came into Fleur de Lys in the middle of Steve’s special birthday dinner and stole his thunder for her own birthday and entourage. But I digress.
Then Dr. Rick Warren from the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California came to the podium. T walked away. I wanted to hear what he had to say because there had to be a reason Obama picked him, I thought. But I listened to him and his words and everything that came out of his mouth fell flat for me, and the notion that he backed Proposition 8 lay square in front of me and him, and I thought, bad choice.
Then Aretha Franklin sang and I forgot about a nobody like Warren and thought, look how beautiful she looks and I LOVE her hat! And she is the Queen of Soul.
Then Obama delivered his speech – and he said we’ll reach out our hand if you unclench your fist, and he, for the first time in history included nonbelievers in his version of America, and he said it was a moment to recall “that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” And best of all he pointed out that his father wouldn’t have been served at a restaurant sixty years ago, but his son is taking the oath of the 44th president.
And I loved Elizabeth Anderson’s poem about our everyday life and the power of love, and the cadence of Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery’s benediction. And I thought John Williams composition was lovely.
And all those people who were there in the freezing cold – thank you for making that a huge special occasion and braving the chill.
A day to remember.