Somehow I never wrote about attending Obama’s Inauguration this January 20th but those memories surfaced in my Valentine to friends and family that I am putting in the mail today.

Here it is, to spread the good vibrations a little further:

 

A Message of Hope and Unity

   

This comes with my deep hope that this year will bring us a surer notion of just how much we can achieve. And that by working together we can all prove this to be true. Things won’t be easy, but we’ll come out on top.

 

Our family (3/4ths of us at least) felt these certainties on Inauguration Day as we stood on the frozen grass of the National Mall, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, in a direct line from Lincoln behind us to Obama in front. We were part of the cheers, and we felt the energy and hope of the country. We sensed – so strongly that it felt like knowing – we were witnessing the beginning of healing, not just for the last 8 years but for the wrongs of racism and slavery as well. It was real. It was happening. I felt it in the blinding sun of the winter sky as I watched a hawk make circles over the National Gallery, in front of the SWAT team on the rooftop. I pretended it was an eagle and wished the whole country could have been there, because it made me forget every worry I’d ever had.

 

It just takes a single moment to create that kind of faith that allows us to see the whole range of possibility in our lives. But that one moment can spur us on to realize our dreams, and to help others achieve theirs. They say it’s easier for friends to help each other in the down times than it is to celebrate each other’s triumphs. But let’s start, this year – now – by doing both.

 

As you know, I started sending valentines instead of Christmas cards a few years ago when I needed to feel more compassion to balance the pain I felt from the tone and policies of the White House. I figured it was up to me to create what I didn’t have. Now we have it, thankfully, in Washington and across the world. But it’s up to each one of us to sustain it, to strengthen it – in our homes, down the street, in our towns. We can start by sustaining one another.

 

I start by saying to you, let me know if you need help, and how. We all need it now. I’ll be there beside you in the good times, too, that with hard work are just around the corner!

 

With love,

 

Mary Ann

 

 

 

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