At Last!

There were so many many moments from inauguration week in Washington, D.C. that moved me to tears:

*Standing on the mall with an estimated 1-2 million people from 6 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, sharing conversations with people from around the country and the world who couldn’t be anywhere else except here;

*Watching elderly and disabled people brave the cold and do whatever it took to make it through the inauguration pomp and circumstance;

*Listening to President Obama’s inaugural speech;

*Feeling a flood of relief as the helicopter lifted the Bushes into the sky, finally, finally signaling the end of an era;

*Watching the 40 kids and adults on the tour I was leading have transformative moments as they just took in everything around them.

But just when I thought I couldn’t cry anymore, I went back to my hotel room on the night of the inauguration and saw this on TV:

and then, Robin Roberts’ interview with Beyonce:

“I’m so proud of my country,” she says. “I’m so lucky to be alive at this [moment in] history…. He makes me want to be smarter, he makes me want to be more involved.”

Me too. At last, I finally feel that this country has been returned to the people. And now, it’s time for us all to get involved and be the change we wish to see in the world. What part will you play?