On This Day.

December 2, 2007

It's hard to believe that it's been that long.

As soon as I received the e-mail inviting me to a "Massachusetts Rally for Change", I was on the horn to Tarah, my political partner in crime.

"Wanna Go?" I asked
"Sure, seems like interesting stuff."


We met downtown around 5:00. The doors didn't open until 6pm, so we took our place in line about halfway down the block from the entrance. Not bad.

The line grew longer behind us and it began to snow.
We welcomed the change in weather and stood there and waited in line alongside supporters, undecideds and others.

In awe of my surroundings, I was a little memorized by the excitement and overall feeling once inside the Castle. I had never been this close to a campaign before and wanted to take it all in.

Trying to edge our way to the front near the stage, Tarah and I were stopped by a campaign worker.

"Hey! Do you two ladies want to be on stage when Senator Obama speaks?"
We both looked at each other with some reservations said, "Sure!" and were suddenly whisked away to the side of the stage.

We stood there and watched as the Castle quickly filled with supporters anxious to see the Senator speak. Thinking about it now, it all feels surreal. Waiting there felt like a lifetime.

Finally we were prepped and swept up on stage with about thirty other lucky people.
Some of us were handed pro- Obama signs to hold up during the nights events.

I remember a wonderful woman, (around my age) talking to the crowd about how she was inspired by Senator Obama. So much so that she dropped everything and joined the campaign staff. She spoke wonderfully about knocking on doors and getting people involved. I remember thinking, it seemed so simple and that I needed to get on board.

After she was done speaking, she introduced the man himself.
The crowd exploded. We stood on stage clapping and cheering.

I remember it being really warm.
I remember the lights shining on my face.
I remember being really nervous about my posture, about my facial expressions, about how I looked in front of all these people.

Then he began to speak.
And I began to smile.
And I began to clap.
And I began to cheer.

And when it was over and he finished speaking, he turned around to greet us.
And he shook each and every one of our hands.

And I remember thinking that I just shook the hand of the man that could potentially be our next President.

Who knew at the time, right?

As I watched today's events, I was a bit overwhelmed.
I kept thinking of that day back in December of 2007.
Before the caucus.
Before the primaries.

I'm excited for the future.
I'm ready for change.

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

President Barack Obama