President Barack Obama

As I type, Sen. McCain is graciously conceding the election. It happened so fast, and I was distracted this evening, so it is slowly sinking in. I'm not sure what I feel. There is affirmation that what I believed would happen actually did happen. There is hope that a President Obama can and will bring about change that we need, especially in the hearts of Americans, a people that have been riding a wave of selfishness, led in this by an administration that has set the example of taking care of yourself first, last and always. We need a new example, one of taking responsibility for one's actions, and reaching outward to find common ground with others in our nation who share common dreams. And we need a new image in the world, one of caring about the people, not just the power. Many of us feel anger over what has occurred over the last eight years. Some of us will call for revenge. But that will not be the tone our new president will take. He is a problem solver, one who will call for identifying what went wrong, and then finding ways to fix it. There will be an African American family in the White House. Hopefully that will help to heal some old divisions and wounds in our country. But it will not be automatic. There is work to be done, patience to be tested and held on to, forgiveness to be offered and accepted, enormous problems to be addressed and solutions to be found through working together. President Obama will face a tremendous task. We must help him.