I Was There

Wednesday January 21 2008.

Wednesdays are usually the days when my eyes dread the morning light. When my tongue yearns for the taste of a hot cup of coffee. When my mind is at peace with the cycle of life, seeing and attempting to understand death and sickness in the world the night before. Yet this Wednesday was different. I woke up, tumbled out of the duty bunk room and into my 9-5 work suit. I waited for the bus and was able to find my regular seat in the back. Typically Ill pull out a book that I'm currently reading or let my mind drift into past memories triggered by songs that come up on shuffle. This Wednesday morning I did neither. As I sat there I couldn't help but notice all the passengers on the bus nose deep into the Washington Post, and on the cover in bold it read : " Obama Takes Charge - Nation Asked to Begin Task of "Remaking America". I instantly felt goosebumps all over my skin as I closed my eyes and reminisced on the events of Tuesday January 20, 2008. I felt the cold chill of the wind against my face again as I waited in a crowd full of people to be able to at least hear him. I could feel the true force of winter as it painfully numbed my toes and fingers, not to mention my nose that I swore I no longer had. Aretha's voice in the distance ringing through my ears as I looked around at faces full of Hope, Faith, Pride, Joy, and Happiness. Wow I thought, Wow was all I could come up with, Wow is all I can say to describe it. Faces of all races, religions, nationalities, social classes, and ages. All had the same emotions and feelings glowing in there faces as he spoke! We might not have been able to physically see him, but we heard him loud and clear and when the inauguration was complete cheers along with tears broke out every which way. Interviews left and right, and all despite the cold winter wind that was still challenging us. This "small" moment in time meant so much, so much that it was hard to grasp! It was unbelievable, I turned to my brother and all I could say was " We have a new president....WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT!" and we jumped up and down like children who just received the toy of there dreams!

Dreams, Dreams, Dreams ,Dreams.....

We continued to walk around waiting for the parade to start, my fingers snapping pictures left and right. I want to show the world what raw and true HOPE, looks like! I want to show the world what raw and true JOY looks like! I want show the world what achieving a DREAM looks like! It was all in the faces of the people around me! and I was completely overwhelmed. At one point I jumped on top of a huge pot holding a small pine tree, to get a better glance at the parade. All I saw coming towards me was a huge crowd of people running and chanting, "Obama, Obama, Obama", rising their fists, not for battle or war, but for joy and hope. I knew he was next to appear in the parade. I held my 35 mm Nikon tightly in my numb fingers turning left to catch the emotion of the crowd and turning right to attempt to catch a photograph of President Obama's limousine. All the film and digital cameras in the world couldn't capture the true essence of the moment, even though my 35 mm gave its best attempt. All of these memories rushing in and out of my mind during this morning's bus ride. My stop approached as I gathered my things and prepared to make my way into the cold winter weather again. I looked back one more time at the bus full of passengers busy reading every detail of the event, and I sighed....having one last thought run through my head......"I Was There"......