As Barack Obama began the first words of his acceptance speech on November 4th, I was clapping my hands, jumping up and down for joy, and cheering for this man for whom I've been campaigning for so many months with all my heart and soul. But as he spoke, my wide smile began to fade and my thoughts wandered inward. The room was filled with cheering, celebrating supporters, but their faces and the sounds of their voices soon took on a dream-like state. What remained clear was the image of Barack Obama on the screen and his words, along now with my own inner dialogue.The words Barack Obama chose, "brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand" echoed in my soul, and made me fully understand the significance of what I was witnessing. The "history" that was being made this night was not so much about the first African-American president, but rather the courageous step our country took to let this man of vision lead our nation down the road to recovery. I thought about the young and the old, my grandmother and my young daughters. My eyes welled up with tears, tears of joy, disbelief, amazement, and the realization that what was happening was the citizens were reclaiming their country and its fate, and the rebuilding that will soon be done will happen by one and all.
As the tears streamed down my cheeks, I began to more fully understand that the full sense of ownership our country will now finally be restored, and as a result, give us a sense of pride that will be felt across the country by everyone. The hard work and sacrifices we are about to all make will make, and have already made, will remind us how strong we are when we clasp hands and work toward a common goal. This new great chapter in American history, "America Awakened" will begin recounting of Barack Obama handing over his "Olympic Gold" win to the people of this country, by saying "You are the reason for my victory." This gesture, an act so bold and noble, has already ignited the flames of non-partisan partnership, pride and a hope for a better future. Obama is clear that hard work is ahead for us all, but like an eager child wanting to help their parents with a project, we're genuinely looking forward being part of a team again.Our children will know this to be the norm as they grow up in this new social environment, and I will tell stories to my grandchildren about the time when we had simply forgotten about the original vision, unity and strength of this great nation. I will also tell them about the day a man named Barack Obama had the courage to wake us all up from a very bad dream so we could begin living in a wakened and clear-minded union once again.
Dianne PereaColorado Springs, Colorado
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