Dear President O

This is an emotional day for so many of us in so many ways. For me, watching you being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, I can't help thinking about my mother. She would have been so happy.

A classic Libra, she was always concerned with fairness and justice. The civil rights movement was very important to her, as were women's rights, children's rights, and so on. She marched against war. She marched for equality, and she felt injustice keenly. I grew up understanding that freedom did not exist unless we were all free.

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any time knows I had a lot of issues with my mother, but I can tell you now that politics was not one of them. In fact, sometimes we marched together, even when I was at an age where being seen with one's mother was anathema.

When she died I found her old peace symbol necklace, an original that dates back to the 60's when it was worn to protest our involvement in Vietnam.

When we went to war in Iraq I pulled it out of my drawer and I have been wearing it ever since. Until Sunday, that is, when I noticed it wasn't hanging around my neck anymore.

What I'm getting to is this: I want to tell you how proud and happy my Mom would have been to see you walking down Pennsylvania Avenue today and being cheered on like a rock star. And I want to tell you that I don't mind having lost my peace symbol necklace. That's because I am hoping I'm not going to need it anymore.

Because of you.

You are taking on a huge challenge. I'm relieved that a man of vision and intelligence is in at the head of our government at a time when we desperately need him. I'm delighted that you understand the importance of the internet--that by having the Whitehouse website update as you took the reigns of office, you are showing us that you are a man of the present and the future, and by twittering and blogging you are telling us you plan to talk to us directly, and that you will collaborate with the American people in forging a path to where America needs to be. This is why I'm thinking that if anyone can get us out of this mess, it's you. At the same time, I know we all have to be patient. It took a while to get this messed up, it will take a while to get un-messed too. But as long as you keep talking to us, and not treating us like the white-male dominated oligarchy has for so long, then there is hope.

President O, as you assume the yoke of power, I want to tell you this from both me and my mom: Stay safe. Be strong and courageous. And thanks for getting us our country back.