I love my country.
I have never said that before.
Ever.
I'm going to be 60 years old and I have NEVER said that before.
But I've been sitting here in the warm comfort of my bedroom, watching the Inauguration Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, deeply moved by the choice of songs and even more by the words uttered between, with tears streaming down my face at the amazing thing that was achieved in the last 2 years, and the amazing things that I KNOW we will, together, achieve in the future. It is a work of art, this concert, emblematic in its themes and its huge cooperative effort of what we will, we can, we MUST achieve in this new era.
And then it hit me. One of those thunderbolt things.
I love my country.
She's not perfect, my country
Those we love are never perfect.
But suddenly I see a glimmer
a hope
a chance
of a relationship that will not be adversarial.
My anger
my frustration
my disappointment
have dissipated enough
that I can see
that I love her.
I am stunned.
I am filled with joy.
Love is an amazing thing.
And I will never forget this moment.
Together we can make a change.
All of us together.
We have a chance.
For the sake of this country
for the sake of the whole world
let's not blow it.
I love you, America.
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5 comments:
A private communication from the philosopher:
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That was the corniest thing I have ever read. . . you make Frank Capra look like a hard-bitten cynic.
And I teared up reading it.
OG, I'm a Brit, I think that it is wonderful the hope that Mr Obama brings to the hearts of his supporters.
I pray both for America and the World that he can achieve his dream.
Warm hugs,
Paul.
I'm a Brit too :)
And I related so much to what you said about loving your country despite the imperfections etc...
I so know what you mean. We've nearly emigrated several times, but are still here... The land is still here, under the fights and the arguments and the mess and the debts and rubbish...
How beautiful your sentiment - I love my country too but somehhow I can never lace words so wonderfully together as you have.
Cat
Paul and mamacrow - it has meant so much to people over here to know that the rest of the world is cheering us on. It gives us hope of some measure of reconciliation.
I shared this essay with a few friends, and even the most leftist of them confessed to the same feelings. It truly feels like a different country now.
Good luck to you guys in sorting out your own recession and such.
Cat - I went to your blog. Give yourself credit for your writing. I didn't get to read much, but your instinctive rhythm is beautiful, and increases the power of the words alone. If I remember correctly, the piece was called Mother Love. (And thank you for the compliment.)
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