Inauguration Day!

There are certain occasions in one's life that are worth the inconvenience or sacrifice to make happen. Our family planned to spend this past weekend skiing with friends, and then extend our stay to be sure that we were in front of a TV so that we would not miss President Obama's inauguration. Having missed much of the excitement of election day because of necessary limitations to internet access in the village, we were determined that our family would not miss the momentous day when our first African-American president would assume the highest office in our country. We have been hoping and praying for this day for months, a day where a Christian president would actually live out the values of grace and forgiveness, loving one's enemies, looking out for the poor and oppressed rather than the rich and powerful.
In his inaugural speech we heard humility, courage, and hope.
We saw kindness and restraint when the Chief Justice instructed him to incorrectly recite the oath of office. We heard a president who is not afraid to tell the truth about our difficult task because he believes that we are capable of rising to the challenges we now face.
Tonight, a day later, dozens of people in the village cheered as they watched our new president assume his position, thanks to kind friends who taped the event for the TV-deprived of Holden Village! The celebration was delayed but heartfelt.
I hate to admit it, but it will actually be nice to have access to technology once again, to television, telephones, and YouTube.
We so value the experience of having been low-tech for these six months and hope the lessons we've learned from being more technology-free than we will be in the outside world will stay with us for years to come.
Even though it was not the same thing to watch the inauguration a day later, I am glad that we were able to know what it is like to enjoy--and really appreciate--watching history unfold on the big screen together, as a community.