A new day

I woke up this morning to freshly falling snow washing the world clean, a perfect accompaniment to my feelings today. I feel renewed, refreshed and hopeful after watching last night's election results. I feel that this will be a new beginning for our nation that we so sorely need.

As I watched Senator John McCain's concession speech, I was teary-eyed. I know how it feels to have worked so hard for something you believe in and to fall short of your goal. I felt that Senator McCain was full of grace and humility last night, something that is rare in politics.

I was also struck by how for the first time in a long time, both candidates were such quality choices. Instead of recent elections when the choice has been between the lesser of two evils, I truly felt that this year the choice was between two good candidates! That is how it should be!

I wanted Senator Obama to win and I am thrilled that he did. I am especially excited that he won 47.87% of the vote here in Salt Lake County, which is unusual in an extremely red state! McCain only beat him by 0.56%!

I was touched by the historic nature of last night. To see people from all walks of life joined together in celebrating Obama's win was very poignant. Like similar landmark moments in our nation's history, I know that I will always remember where I was when I heard that our nation had elected its first African American president.

It is my hope that we can put aside our partisanship for a time and join together in supporting all of our elected officials in bettering our communities and our nation.