Yes, WE Can

Every four years our country feels the stirring of new beginnings, and this year the sense of a crucial point in history is even more profound. I remember watching the inaugurals of John Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. I've read about those of earlier presidents. I have to confess that I'm of that generation first inspired by Kennedy's "ask not" admonition, and I'm also the first to confess that my generation, the pre-boomers, eventually lapsed from idealism and bought stock in Lehmann Brothers to pad the retirement account--like millions of others. That is, I know that in the coming days, inspiration must meet pragmatism and that the forces of inertia, especially where our dear government is concerned, can begin to drag down the loftiest dreamers. After all, I grew up hearing all those priceless Will Rogers one-liners like "every time Congress makes a joke, it becomes a law." It's easier to be a pessimist than a dreamer.

But today, I'm standing with the dreamers. It feels almost like old times (think Class of '61) to hear rhetoric that lifts us above the ordinary fears of failure and the doubts about our direction. It gives me chills to see the Washington Mall, where Norm and I tramped around in the rain a little over a year ago, filled with people of every color and inclination who took buses, trains, Cadillacs and even mopeds from everywhere so they could be there and wave their flags wildly. At this point, I am ready to believe that as Americans, we can think of our neighbors as well as ourselves, defend our ideals of freedom, seek justice and love mercy as Hosea admonished us. The most important word in that three-word campaign slogan that has become a mantra for the next administration is the middle one: We.

May God bless our new president and his family, and humbly, let us pray that God will bless America.