Look Around

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

God Bless America

Today I am very proud and feeling very blessed that I had the privilege to be born in this great country.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of many of our new president's policies. I will use the freedom afforded to me by the Constitution to make my opposition known to him...loudly. I will use this freedom to make sure our president knows that we cannot survive long as a society if he continues to turn his back and deny the basic right to life to the most innocent members of our society.

And although I pray for the best for our country and the president's leadership, my hope is in Christ, not Barack Obama.

And yet, I am proud today and I say God bless America!

What an amazing thing it was to watch the man who would turn over power to someone so ideologically different from him ride together in the same car to the Inauguration. How inspiring to see a man with a foreign name and dark skin take the oath of office to serve our nation. How wonderful that there will be little children living in the White House.

Perhaps because I grew up in Virginia, I was very well schooled throughout my education on the tolls of slavery and segregation on our society. A few years ago we visited the house in Atlanta where Martin Luther King Jr. was born. He was born in his home because his mother refused to go to the segregated hospital. One of my high school history teachers grew up in segregated Richmond and painted a vivid picture of what life was like. Having always lived in the shadow of the nation's capital, I have never felt removed from the history and impact of moments like King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Today, blocks across from where that event occurred, the dream was realized. However I feel about Obama's policies, I can't help but feel the importance of the moment.

My parents came here from other places. They chose to make this country their home. My mother came from a country still gripped by the iron fist of one man, a country where its citizens have not been free to choose their own destiny. A country where there has not been a peaceful transition of power in over 50 years.

I was grateful for the opportunity to watch everything that happened today. It was special and historic.

My hope remains in Christ and I continue to pray for our nation. God Bless America!

3 comments:

cyj said...

Our hope should always be in Christ. As I told you earlier there is no other country where my children could have become the compassionate, virtous adults they are today. I also say jGod Bless America and God guide President Obama to be a president of hope and virtue.

Claudia said...

I agree...God Bless America. As our pastor said in church this past weekend, this is a time of prayer that God will guide our leaders. I, for one, have great hope that there is promise of good things in the next four years.

Claudia said...

I forgot to add that according to Andrew, Abuela is a just like a pilgrim.