49 Months

Tonight, we experienced a seismic shift of consciousness. The world awakened to a new destiny. One built on hope and diversity. One made from the salt of the people. One that promises a better future for tomorrow.

When Barack Obama won the presidency, I became so overwhelmed with joy that it poured forth from my insignificant frame. I lay my four-year-old son to bed and I was so happy for him. I looked at the people in this country with tremendous appreciation. They have spoken for him. They have decided that his future matters. The emotion that I felt was genuine and boisterous. I scooped Lucas into my arms and I hugged him with every ounce of wonder and joy that was consuming my being.

I was happy. I was proud to be a father, to give him a future that is worthy of his precious heart. We are a nation that must now move forward and awaken to a better goal for humanity. I believe that Barack Obama will be that president. The world is searching for someone, a worldly leader, who will connect all of humanity toward one common goal of prosperity and generosity. The people of the United States have overwhelmingly expressed their desire for that tonight. Barack Obama represents that soul seeking shift of consciousness. He is a light in the darkness and an example for all of us.

Whenever I look into Lucas' heart, I witness the bloom of life. He shines with a spirit that I forgot existed. The heart of a child is so enormous, unburdened by all the caustic decay of human despair. He doesn't know about war and anguish. He doesn't embrace greed or hate. He only knows that he loves to laugh and play. He only wants to learn and grow. Each day brings him more to appreciate. It's my job to keep him on that path.

Every day I spend time with people who think that watching actual murder on youtube is entertainment, who laugh at people because of the color of their skin, who only want to elevate themselves above others with every ounce of their beings. It's a fundamental aspect of our culture to make ourselves and others feel inferior. It's handed down through each generation until the thoughtless and inherent hatred pours out of people's skin. It's a sick culture that has been perpetuated by the people who've run this country for the past eight years.

Now, it is over. The Nightmare has finally come to an end. Praise whatever deity that guides the four corners of the earth. Now, the time for reparation has begun. Barack Obama has given me hope. He is the symbol of real change in this country, one that seemed unimaginable only a generation ago. When I look at my son, I try to imagine the way that the world is going to change during his lifetime. I don't know what that may look like but just the enormity of where we are today, from where we've come from, it causes my heart to expand. What a beautiful time we live in. What a beautiful country.

Ah...it feels so good to say that again.