Presidential Prayer Breakfast

I take the 16th street bus to work and then head west walking towards Connecticut Ave, where my office is. The roads were all blocked off with police vehicles, especially outside the Washington Hilton, which is directly across from my building on T street. It didn't occur to me until reading through the White House blog postings that arrive in my Google Reader that President Obama and the First Lady Michelle and hundreds of others were there for the National Prayer Breakfast.

His speech is wonderful. It really calls on us to recognize and cling to our commonalities, no matter our faith backgrounds, so that our nation and our world can truly benefit from it. this is a nice segment from the speech....

"There is no doubt that the very nature of faith means that some of our beliefs will never be the same. We read from different texts. We follow different edicts. We subscribe to different accounts of how we came to be here and where we’re going next – and some subscribe to no faith at all.

But no matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate. There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.

We know too that whatever our differences, there is one law that binds all great religions together. Jesus told us to "love thy neighbor as thyself." The Torah commands, "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." In Islam, there is a hadith that reads "None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself." And the same is true for Buddhists and Hindus; for followers of Confucius and for humanists. It is, of course, the Golden Rule – the call to love one another; to understand one another; to treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share a brief moment on this Earth.

It is an ancient rule; a simple rule; but also one of the most challenging. For it asks each of us to take some measure of responsibility for the well-being of people we may not know or worship with or agree with on every issue. Sometimes, it asks us to reconcile with bitter enemies or resolve ancient hatreds. And that requires a living, breathing, active faith. It requires us not only to believe, but to do – to give something of ourselves for the benefit of others and the betterment of our world.

In this way, the particular faith that motivates each of us can promote a greater good for all of us."

I'm excited to hear how our new President is going to leverage well established faith-based organizations during his administration to work for change. He's announced an Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to get this going.

Keep up to speed with daily happenings in the Obama administration here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/

First week as a DC resident!

So many good and fun things going on. Just to name a few....

1. Moved from home into wonderful group house in NW DC
2. Reveled in the fact that my alertness and general demeanor has improved because of a shorter commute.
   
3. Made new friends
   
4. Spent an 1.5 hrs in the grocery store going through every aisle
   
5. Cooked/baked lasagna, breakfast for one of the housemates, banana bread, cream of broccoli soup
6. Ate lots of cake and had a magnificent birthday with friends and a date
   
7. Went to Attitude Exact art gallery's 20 yr anniversary black tie celebration
8. Stood for over 3 hours with millions of others at the Inauguration Concert Sunday to witness history and proudly welcome our president-elect to his new home . Take a look at the album below.
   

Inauguration Concert "We Are One"

Yes we can and yes we DID!

A good number of slogans are cheered around during any campaign. I haven't been around long, but in what I've heard, I've never seen a slogan as substantial and promising as Barack Obama's "YES WE CAN". At first I thought it was very catchy and easy to remember, but I soon realized there is true power behind those three little words. The slogan is weighty yet promises freedom from burden; it's deep but lifts us out of the depths of doubt and fear; it includes everyone but reaches individuals in a very personal way.

The chant took on a whole new meaning when Obama was elected by the American people to be our President, marking the achievement of many firsts, not the least of which is becoming the first African American president. All that affirmation and encouragement yielded real results! We can claim, along with Obama, that yes, we DID! By we I'm referring not just to Obama and to everyone in his campaign team, but also to every American supporter, volunteer, and the those in the world who took a chance by turning away from fearful driven campaigning and instead looked in the direction where each wants to walk - that is choosing a different, higher model before them to inform the future. I'm even referring to the McCain-Palin campaign and supporters who so gracefully conceded defeat on Tuesday night.

This will go down as one of those "where were you when...?" moments in history. At 10pm I'd just finished playing volleyball in Dupont area. I rushed myself down to the metro. I hopped off the White Flint metro and raced across the street to the Bethesda North Marriott Conference Center where the Montgomery County democrats were hosting a party. My heart starting beating faster as I walked into screams and cheers. Florida had just been announced as going for Obama.

This story is likely similar to many others. The room was packed with people of all ages and races, most sporting their colorful and creative Obama paraphernalia. 10 seconds to 11pm (when California was to close its polls), everyone started counting down, just like new years, but this time there was much more to celebrate than the turning of a page on a calendar. Cliche, yes, but it was to be one of the biggest page turners in modern history - the election of black president. 11pm and we all went wild. I've never been a part of anything else like it. Tears streaming down all our faces, hugs with friends and strangers. Jumping up and down. Screaming. Lots of screaming with joy and relief. Called my brother in Brooklyn but neither of us could hear the other because of the wave of elation that swept over the crowds where we were.

What came as the biggest surprise to me in this moment was the sense of pride that was flooded through me in an irresistible way. WOW - This is the America I identify with. This is the America I believe in. This is the America I'll work hard and sacrifice for. This is the America that I can celebrate openly without hesitation or shame.

Without a doubt America needs all of us to do all those things to pick ourselves up. A leader is necessary, yes, but aware and engaged participants have to be right there with him ready to act, but also to be extremely patient. Real change, to borrow a phrase from Obama, isn't going to come in the next few months, year, or maybe not even in this first term, especially not because of a change in president. Look at what the majority of Americans just did with this election. If we can do that with so many odds against the win at the start, just think of the possibilities.