On Hil Street

A few months ago, our minister, David, gave a sermon on what we should  do when we get into the voting booth.  Looking to Romans 14:19, he asked us to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”  With that scripture in mind, I filled in the little squares of my vote-by-mail ballot.

No matter who you voted for or what you think will happen over the next four years – today makes history. 

Yesterday we celebrated a man who had a dream for equality, and today, a large piece of that dream is realized in the leadership of the United States.  Today, a man with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas (brilliant sound bite, Obama PR people, brilliant!) is taking office.  Barack Hussein Obama is taking office.

My mother grew up fighting for equality during the civil rights movement.  I don’t understand today’s significance as much as she does, but I hope I don’t take it for granted.  I hope our children understand that there was a time when only white men were president and that on January 20, 2009 we broke that barrier. 

This year, a woman (pictured yesterday on Hil Street) received 18 million votes in the Democratic presidential primary.  The Republican Party ran a woman for vice president.  I feel I now can look any child in the eye and say, “Yep, you can be president.”

I know we have a long way to go to get to full inclusion in the United States.  But today, for a moment, we are closer to the dream that neither Jew or gentile, slave or free, man or woman are divided.  I hope we are more unified than ever before.  Today, I pray for peace and mutual upbuilding.