Told ya'!

Back in January 2007, via this blog, I said that Barack Obama was someone to watch. I'm so excited that he has secured the Democratic nomination and will be on the ballot in November when we vote for President! If you recall, I was also able to see Senator Obama speak in person in February when he visited T-Town. That's a day I'll never forget; sitting with Buddy Bill, The College Kid, and my police officer friend, in a crowd of 9,000 that was more diverse than our group.

In just a few short days, Buddy Bill and I will be taking ninety (yes, 90!!) 7th graders to Washington, DC to see our nation's capital. We'll see some touristy sites, but the students will also see (and tour!!!) The White House, The U.S. Capitol, Mount Vernon (George Washington's estate), Arlington National Cemetery, The Vietnam War Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, The U.S. Naval Academy, Gettysburg Battlefield, The National Archives... Our itinerary is packed. Coming home, the kids are tired, but they have a new appreciation for what Americans have been able to accomplish in just a couple hundred years. The United States.

Really, when we look at the big picture of world history, America is still in its infancy. Look at what we've done together since George Washington first took office! There are women and African American people right now who never dreamed that either would be able to run for President, much less actually be on the ballot, in their lifetimes. (There was a time when neither could vote!) Yet here it is. A brand new chapter is being written right before our eyes. It's history in the making.

Take the time to write some of it down. Save news articles in a scrapbook for your future grandchildren. Just as the current generation sees MP3 players and cell phones as a part of everyday life and has no clue about life without them, future generations will take all of this for granted as well.

Lucky, lucky them.