Election Night

Last night my cell phone started ringing almost as soon as my class let out at 9:15PM. Sophia was calling to update me on the election results and beg me to drive downtown to Grant Park so we could hear Obama speak and be a part of the celebration. Oh, I wanted to. I really did. My ten year old reminded me that it was a "once in a lifetime event". It really was. Maybe we should have tried, but most likely by the time we drove, parked and walked down there, it would have been over. Fortunately, we could almost feel the spirit of the event as we snuggled together in our home 35 miles from the party.

I was surprised with Sophia's interest in this election. She sat and listened to the Democratic Convention with us, some of the debates and then last night she said, "It feels like the Olympics." She spent the day thinking good thoughts for Obama and his promise of change.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me. I see my little girl as a person that wants change for the better in this world. She worries about the economy and how families will manage. I know one of her gifts in this life to see change happen.

As we finished our American Girl series on The Great Depression, she was left with a more grown-up awareness of the troubles with the economy and a less innocent realization of the consequences many of us will face.

As a family, all four of us snuggled up on the couch last night to hear both McCain and Obama speak. I, of course, was the only one to cry but I think we all felt ourselves being lifted with great hope for our country and inspired by the belief that if we ban together, we can make great changes in the next four years.