I feel part of something much bigger than myself – a sense of representing the hopes and dreams of my children, my family and friends and of the residents of Refugio County.
I am proud of the fact that one day my grandchildren will learn about today in school and I can tell them we were there. I understood that had I not been the county judge, more than likely we would not have been on Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s guest list.
With that comes a great sense of pride and accomplishment but also the knowledge that I’m standing on the shoulders of so many. So if I had another word to describe my experience it would be “grateful.”
Our day began at 6 a.m. The bank marquee said it was 22 degrees but it felt much colder. With the ceremony starting at 11 a.m., I thought five hours would be plenty of time to get there and we could beat the crowd.
As we approached the Metro, the primary mode of transportation for people attending the inaugural festivities, the number of people who wanted to get an early start impressed me. It was already standing-room only and we hadn’t even reached the city yet.
As we got closer and closer to the city, the rail cars began to fill even more. A million people rode the Metro that day! What struck me was how jubilant people were.
They weren’t upset or irritated by the tight space or crowding. Not one person was complaining. In fact, people were laughing and singing all the way. And at each stop, people were welcomed aboard.
Upon arrival at L’Enfant Plaza, our final destination, there were thousands upon thousands of people inching their way towards the exit. Still, there was excitement and unity. In fact, one woman yelled out that she had found someone’s glove.
The possibility of someone losing something and actually getting it back in a crowd that size most would think would be zero but actually the owner of the glove was about 200 feet and 1,000 people ahead of us.
The glove was passed hand to hand until it reached its twin. The crowd erupted. I think all understood that today was a special day in so many ways.
It took almost an hour to get out of the subway. Although progress was steady, we were literally moving an inch at a time. Once we reached street level, we were encouraged to move along.
Being on the senator’s guest list meant that we would be in the first standing section beyond the podium. This also meant that we would be required to walk another six blocks. Up to this point we had not been exposed to the elements.
Now we would spend the next few hours standing in line in the bitter cold. When we reached our entrance, it was much of the same. Very crowded, very cold and very uncomfortable. Yet, much like the subway, people were still very positive, very cordial and very happy.
We began to visit with others around us. People from all walks of life, every state and several other countries were there to witness history. There was lots of singing, especially Gospel hymns, laughter and camaraderie.
Mostly, the people were hopeful. The security was intense. Helicopters, sharpshooters on the roofs, Secret Service and law enforcement were everywhere. Each person was scanned and each bag was checked. Multiply that by an estimated 2 million people!
Finally, we made it through security, found our spot where we could get a glimpse of the ceremony and waited. Members of Congress, former presidents and vice presidents, the Supreme Court justices – all were introduced.
There were “Jumbotron” monitors placed strategically in the crowd. As each of the honored guests’ images was shown on the monitor the crowd would give their approval. The biggest cheers came when the new first lady and children of the president-elect came on screen.
Then, after hours of extreme cold and standing shoulder-to-shoulder amongst hundreds of thousands of people, the moment of truth finally came. Barack H. Obama, placed his hand on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible, took the presidential oath of office and became the 44th president of the United States.
As he began his inaugural speech I looked around. Most people stood attentive to the new president. Some wept at the enormity of the day. All were proud of this moment — proud of our new, young president but mostly proud of America.
We stood together. Every race, every color, every creed stood together. In that moment we were all Americans. What an amazing journey for our nation. Only in America can one dream to be president and regardless of one’s social standing, race or religion it is possible.
After the ceremony, all we had to look forward to was the long walk back to the train station. Honestly, the extreme cold and standing for hours on end had taken its toll on both my wife and me. She was in a lot of pain, having had back surgery recently.
We had stopped on the way to rest for a few minutes. We chose the stoop of a house that was on the way to the Metro station, having walked for about an hour in the freezing cold. As luck would have it the owner of the home returned.
She was a godsend. She happened to be the new pastor of the Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. They offered us a warm place to rest, coffee, hot chocolate and food. They had opened the church to anyone who wanted to get out of the weather.
After we warmed up and got something to eat, it was time to leave. We dreaded the walk. A member of the church, a good Samaritan, offered us a ride to the station. The church member’s generosity was amazing.
This was a common theme throughout this entire experience — hope, generosity, brotherhood and a genuine caring of one another. I believe this is why God has blessed our nation with so much.
We are one America. We are our brother’s keeper. There is a new hope for us. Let us wish our new president and his family well. Good luck, Mr. President.
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