president-elect obama

those three words still give me chills every time i hear them. i can't describe my emotions except to say that i've never felt this way before and i cannot wait to see what will unfold over the next four years. i was really touched by mccain's concession speech, and was happy to see a return of the mccain i liked so much in the spring. i'm hopeful that the reaction of his crowd was only a gut response, and doesn't represent what a reconciliation between the parties will have to overcome. i think obama's speech gave a great view into what we can expect. my favorite lines:

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other."

hopefully we will all remember that the election itself hasn't changed anything & that we will all have to commit to the chance we want to see. i'm looking for obama to re-channel the passion for this election into a passion for a stronger, more gracious united states of america.