Umm Ummm Good - 1/17/09

I'm nesting. It's been cold, and I've been going full speed for a while now. I didn't stop much after Bel & Mama died, but rather threw myself into the normalcy of workaday life, seeking the routine and the busyness, and wishing to give back to my employers who had so taken care of me as I helped to tend Bel and Mama. Even the weekends have been busy, though. New Year's Eve weekend spent in New Orleans (it was closer to a week, actually), and since then it's been one thing or another. There have been birthday dinners out. One weekend there were two.

I am happy to stay in, making soup for the first time since I can't remember when, in a gigantic motha' pot I found still boxed in Bel's closet. She must have bought it before she got too sick to go out. I'd like to think it might have been my Christmas present. Whether or not, thank you, Bel. The soup is wonderful and plenty.

I also enjoyed watching the lead up to Obama's inauguration, having missed most of the emotional impact of the election itself, otherwise engaged (see above). I can't help but smile watching the Inauguration Celebration, knowing that one of the last things Mama and Bel did was cast their absentee ballots for Barack Obama. I left Bel in the hospital to run home and get hers. I mailed it from the Grady Hospital post office. Before I did, she made me take a picture of it. I didn't ask why. She died a week later. They would have loved seeing this.

I watched online from work. I started with CNN/Facebook until right before noon when CNN got so overloaded their live feed stopped working. MSNBC seemed promising but stuttered. Ultimately, I watched on the NY Times site, which maintained a good streaming video in real time without commentary. It was perfect. (h/t Charlie for pointing it out. I passed it along where it was needed.) I opened Facebook in a new window. Also Twitter. At one point The Oldest posted on Facebook's status update (their excellent stab at micro-blogging), "Enjoying Inauguration 2.0". Amen to that. Beat the hell out of watching alone. I kept it on in the background of my desktop 'til I left work at about 5:45, exiting the office with marching music in my head. My workplace full of Republicans was very generously tolerant, even interested. It's amazing to me how many life-long Republicans I know who like Obama. Some even voted for him. It was a great day. 

While I was also working so missed some of it, I loved Joseph Lowery, even if his lighthearted ending just missed the mark, and Aretha was excellent. Her hat rocked. The boys' Dad watched with friends in the Old Atlanta Democratic stronghold, Manuel's Tavern, breaking for  a while in the afternoon to go to The King Center and celebrate there. I reckon that's all still going on. I, happily home switching back and forth among networks and cable networks, am watching in proud amazement. As I drove home, I heard on NPR the words, "President Obama," and my breath caught and tears welled. This is really happening.

I just saw an old taped interview of Obama on the evening news. In it he said, "If you don't have enough self-awareness to see the megalomania involved in thinking you can be president, you probably shouldn't be president." Therein lies the difference. I think the overwhelming attendance, the incredible emotions (when was the last time so many people were so moved by such an event?), are more about the relief of having this considered, intellectually curious and emotionally intelligent, this present man, leading the nation, than about anything to do with race. The whole world is jubilant. Not every past sin can be forgiven by all, but there is great global healing in the resounding decision of the American people to demonstrate democratic regime change for the world, by electing and rejoicing in Barack Hussein Obama as President of our United States of America. Welcome to the new White House.

It was a good day.

Peace, y'all. As Bel used to say, as she wrote to me in symbols just days before she died, Peace, Love and Happiness.... I would add Prosperity.... to you all.