Thank you, Mr. Obama

By Chris Trout | January 18, 2009

In the recent (1/19/09) issue of Newsweek magazine, Anna Quindlen penned an eloquent plea for Barak Obama to deliver an Inaugural speech that  "unites, inspires and challenges" us in a way that hasn't been heard in decades.

We so desperately want to be well led, and leaders inspire. Leaders instill hope and evoke passion. Leaders have a vision of what is possible and make us want it too. Leaders help us see our best selves and want to live up to what we see.

I remember what it felt like to be inspired by heroes and orators like Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy and Malcolm X, and let me tell you, I am ready to be inspired again. So when Barak Obama accepts the office of President of the United States and speaks words that I know will make my chest swell, my heart pound and my spirit soar, I will not resist.  It's a new day, and I plan to let myself be swept away by the emotion of it all - completely and unapologetically.

He's already got me, so it won't take much, but I have the feeling he may go way beyond what I have imagined. For he understands that it is in this place of hope that our best selves are conceived and given wings.

So, before you say a word, Mr. Obama, thank you for filling us with hope. And to my fellow citizens, thank you for the collective wisdom that made this day possible.