Change.

It is an historic day. And the day is about a man that ran on the idea of "change". Inauguration days really bring about a sense of anticipation, hope, excitement and change. Here are some of my thoughts.

Whether you liked the man or not, agreed with his politics or not, I think we can agree that Former President George W. Bush quite possibly had the most difficult job on the planet. This man was the leader of the free world. This man made decisions, popular or not, he felt were in the best interest of the nation. The man was lambasted numerous times throughout the last 8 years, justified or not. Watching him today, with the grace in which he passed the proverbial baton, made me admire him as a person. I was impressed with the dignity, warmth and poise both he and Laura Bush showed to the incoming First Family and others.


I am also impressed with President Obama. This is the beginning of a new presidency. He has brought hope to many people in this nation. He has the opportunity to bridge divides. He, no doubt, has the nation's best interest in mind. He wants America to be great. But it isn't just him that makes America great, it is each American.

These things were running through my mind:

I hope that we can each criticize less and support more.
I hope that we can point fingers less and hold hands more.
I hope the we can see each other as Children of God, not just Americans, and not just Mormons, Muslims, Catholics, Black, White, of Japanese descent, of Mexican descent, male, female, Repulican, Democrat and everything in between.
I hope we can do less tearing down of one another and more service to one another.
I hope we can show more respect for each other's opinions.
I hope we can be proud but not boastful.
I hope we can show kindness to someone everyday.
I hope we can teach each other positively each day.
I hope we can do random acts of kindness, not only for strangers but for those in our homes.
I hope we can be more tolerant of each other.
I hope we can be more open-minded and yet not be wishy-washy.
I hope we can have less violence and more peace.
I hope we can be less of the problem and more of the solution.
I hope we can teach our children all of these things and give them sense of self so that they can be the future strength of this nation.
I hope we can be dignified.

And really, instead of "I hope we can..." I should be writing "I hope I can..." because the change that everyone is looking for should really start with me, as an individual. Do I think as a nation of millions of people, of all different races, all socio-economic levels, of millions of different personalities, that we can make a change for the better? To use a commonly spoken phrase, Yes we can.