Graceful Parenting in Austin

I’m sitting here watching the live coverage of President Obama’s inauguration. His speech. The luncheon where Sen. Edward Kennedy collapsed. The parade. I look forward to the broadcast of the inaugural ball tonight and the celebration with my church community.

As I watch all of this and I reflect on Obama’s inauguration speech, though, I can’t help think of Dicken’s famous opener to A Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

The world has seen these times before - perhaps even worse. It’s hard to not read the paper, listen to the radio, or browse the internet and hear that things are worse than we’ve ever known. That the hill is a bigger hill than we’ve ever had to climb. That the tasks before us require sacrifice that we’ve never known. But let’s face it, this just isn’t so.

There’s certainly work to do and there are certainly people that need help, but there have been harder times. The system is broken and the ethics in our political arenas and board rooms need serious mending, but there have been bigger economic and political collapses. Some of us have faced these challenges. For some of us (like me) there are sacrifices that will have to be made that we’ve never had to know.

I for one want to be optimistic. I want to believe in the hope and the positive expression of the American promise that Obama speaks about. I’m tired of the politics of fear and divisiveness. I’m tired of being able to visibly see the dividing lines between family members, co-workers and friends. Are you with me? Or are you not? It’s this a “safe” place for me? or should I bite my tongue?

The America I believe in and am proud of is so much bigger than this. It’s the America I want for my children and my children’s children. I hope we find our way.

Thank you President Obama for re-introducing us to ourselves and our ideals. God bless you and the horse you road in on.