Tuesday, January 20, 2009


Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, into
Your brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.

from Inaugural Poem by Maya Angelou



"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."

Abraham Lincoln

56 comments:

  1. January 20th...a new day for America!

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  2. With hand over heart I say "welcome Mr. President. We have waited oh so long for this day."

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  3. Fantastic poem, fantastic quotes, fantastic picture.

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  4. We have been called to witness this inauguration...Barack Obama!!!

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  5. Love this photo. There is a softness in his eyes that pleases me on a human level. I feel exultant about this new era.

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  6. Gosh, I can't wait for tomorrow. I know I should go to sleep now so I can wake up early for the celebrations tomorrow...

    I love that photo. I keep pinching myself and thinking "Wow. That's our President."

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  7. So excited about today's events. History!!!
    Catherine

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  8. Willow, I am so very excited for this new day. If you will permit me, I have two things to share with you.

    The first a quote from Allan K. Chalmers:

    "The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for."

    The second, this lovely poem by Emily Dickinson:

    Hope is the thing with feathers
    That perches in the soul,
    And sings the tune without the words,
    And never stops at all,

    And sweetest in the gale is heard;
    And sore must be the storm
    That could abash the little bird
    That kept so many warm.

    I've heard it in the chillest land,
    And on the strangest sea;
    Yet, never, in extremity,
    It asked a crumb of me.

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  9. Here in Australia, we are ebullient too!

    It is a feeling of promise, of magic, like a first date with someone REALLY special.

    Hip, Hip, Hooray!

    Gorgeous too, unlike President Shrub. :D

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  10. You can always count on Maya to come up with a beautiful poem for a grand occasion.

    Greetings from London.

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  11. Inauguration Greetings from the North East of England, bordering Scotland. Hope Willow Manor sparkles today! x

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  12. Thank you for the fine photo and wonderful sentiments! Very excited and happy that this day is finally here.

    Greetings from New England on this great day!

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  13. Hi Willow,

    I wish you and all your countrymen a wonderful day.

    It will be interesting to see/hear the poem that Elizabeth Alexander provides today. As only the fourth poet to appear at an inauguration, I'm sure she will provide another treasure.

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  14. Today is such a wonderful day...
    Thinking of all my American friends..
    :-)

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  15. Your simple and eloquent post touched me deeply. What a great way to start this pivotal and oh so historic day!!

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  16. I think I have passed the best Word of the day ever:

    MOMENTOUS

    /moʊˈmɛntəs/ [moh-men-tuhs]

    –adjective
    of great or far-reaching importance or consequence: a momentous day.

    Happy momentous day.

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  17. We too have goosebumps ...
    along with you all. xo S.

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  18. Yes! At 4pm (UTC) I'll be sitting in front of the tv! :-)

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  19. Have a beautiful day, Willow and all who are with you!

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  20. Are we hopeful, or what!
    A happy day indeed.

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  21. On this day I could wish to be American. May your new President deliver all that you wish for. A wonderful day.

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  22. The first time in my life I've watched an inauguration...this is a turning point in bringing the world together...praying for PEACE!!!

    sharon

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  23. How wonderful to be living in a historical moment.

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  24. What wonderful sentiments, and what a happy day for us all. Lovely, Willow. It's snowing and pretty out here in NC today (a rare event for us) and an exciting day for the big event. I love Maya's words...I can't wait to hear the poem this go round.

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  25. AMEN!!! what a glorious day for our country!!

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  26. It's IMPOSSIBLE to concentrate here at work today!!!
    And there's not enough bandwidth to support all the computers that are on right now (in our school) to see the inauguration.
    And is it my imagination, or are the kids louder today than usual?

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  27. Never thought this day would come so soon. Now this is the best that life in the USA can be. Let us all join together and help this President bring this country back to the greatness it can be.

    God Bless President Barack Hussein Obama and God Bless America.

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  28. Honestly, I did not vote for Obama. I still feel he is to young and lacks the experience this country needs. That being said. I am excited for today. I am excited that the majorities opinions mattered more than mine. I'm excited that today is a day of history and I get to witness it. I'm excited that the bigot comments that I grew up listening to (from my grandparents) has not stopped this day from happening.

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  29. Having just watched the full inauguration ceremony, I was moved to tears and could wish I was American today.

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  30. better than the one today. That was not the greatest speech

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  31. It's done! President Obama! Standing alone in front of my TV I cheered and beamed with what seemed to be all of America!

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  32. A most moving post on a most moving day. Thank you.

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  33. if only there was a difference between a rep. or a dem. as president. Same old policies different face.

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  34. What a happy, happy day for our country!

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  35. Thank you Suza! I put the Chalmers quote on my sidebar. Perfect for today. x

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  36. I think my 3 year old granddaughter said it best - "I want to hug Barack Obama." And, she did in the only way she could -she hugged him on the TV. The simple innocence of a children can sometimes be so powerful. I hope we all take Lila's lead and embrace our new president for the sake of this country. Kim

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  37. I am proud today to be an American!

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  38. The first of many such moments, I hope.

    Maybe once people are able to see the difference between this man and the previous, it will make others see there are choices and positive ones.

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  39. I found your blog via Debroh Ross's blog. I've enjoyed reading and browsing through your entries. Very nice stuff.

    I share the sentiments here. What a moving Inauguration speech.

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  40. I stopped by, looked, read and appreciated. Thanks

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  41. Well, here I am, checking in at about Comment #396!! Heh! But I did want to leave a comment that I certainly enjoyed your post today.

    I was driving and listening to NPR when I heard this poem read. It was extremely good. In fact, it was most extremely good (if that is a phrase).

    I was impressed by so many things today...

    Take care and I always appreciate your comments on my blog. Thank you.

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  42. i watched today's history with my high school students. amazing. i never believed i would see this in my lifetime. my students weren't quite as emotional as i was. but they'll get over it.

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  43. Dear Willow,
    thanks for this posting.

    We have our country back!! I felt such a sense of relief and happiness today as I watched Barak and his family during the inauguration.

    God bless America!!
    Unlike the voodoo economics we have been forced to endure these last 8 years that has threatened to wreck our economy and our spirit, I do hope there is such a thing as trickle-down in this administration and by that I mean a trickle-down of hope, intelligence, courage, and soul!!


    Ron

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  44. What an eloquently simple post. I love it!

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  45. I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one who had McDonald's cravings during my pregnancy. Thank you so much for your kind and gracious comment on my blog! No joke, I'm actually licking the crumbs off my plate having enjoyed two of your delicious chocolate chip cookies tonight. I realized the very best way to enjoy them is to keep some dough in the fridge and some in the freezer as backup since it goes quite fast and bake a couple when the mood strikes so they are hot and fresh. Delicious!

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  46. What a perfect post for the day.

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  47. Yes, we are on the edge of a new dawning of hope and resurgence. Let the bond of affection bring us together in a renewed awareness our fore fathers would be proud of us. Nice post, Willow.
    The Bach

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  48. Hell yeah, woman! Love your little manor. Sublime photos, lovely prose.

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  49. I am also proud to be an American. I am not happy about obama being president. His 1st day he closed the terrorist prison. The 2nd day he changed Bush's wishes on the murder of children overseas. He is for murder and Bush loves children. All you tax payers will be paying for the murder of innocent children yet to be born. 3rd day he told Israel (thank the Lord they will not listen to him) to open Gaza boarders and let the terrorist have direct access to them. 4th day he whinned about being black and Rush Limbauh. He is a winner yeah...let's be happy about this wingnut.

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  50. Anonymous, it's too bad you are ashamed to show your identity.

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  51. I'm an Aussie, and the power of Barack has rippled across the waves to the rest of the world. It is truly a moment of international significance and I had tears in my eyes. Hope prevails!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)