Reflections of an era...

I am finally taking a few moments to breathe and intentionally reflect upon our President's call to service. It was just one week ago that I was standing in front of the TV pierced by the unfolding series of historical moments. While I am not versed in history, and make no claims of being a politically-minded individual, I feel a sense of shared freedom, hope and inspiration. Throughout this past week as various TV stations offered perspectives debriefing the inauguration festivities, I found myself looking at Kaitlyn and being overcome with strength and renewal lifting my spirit to seek change.

No matter the critics, those in opposition or those with great doubts, it appears that our President has been given a gift--whatever we want to name it, what this gift delivers is people in conversation. These conversations are unifying strangers through the call to service--whether it's in shared pursuits neighbor to neighbor or mass movements of communities working toward a common goal, from east to west people are getting up and making change-they are seeking to better not only their own life but those of others.

The inauguration falls at the start of a New Year when people already are hungry for change, couple this with the countless people who stopped in their tracks to listen as history was made on January 20th and you have what landed within me: strength and renewal.

As a new mother I was already making a laundry list of New Year resolutions: create a cleaning schedule to include sweeping/mopping and vacuuming 2x a week (wishful thinking); complete laundry start to finish whenever doing a load; make the bed daily; prepare a meal calendar to cut down on waste and grocery spending; read to Kaitlyn everyday; ensure Daddy gets quality face time with Kaitlyn when he is home; work out 5x a week (so far so good); weigh cheese to determine actual serving size (I'm a sucker for this dairy staple); incorporate 'conscience spending' practices; go to bed earlier; and become a true resident of my community.

As I have witnessed the flurry of media around this President, around our recent MLK Holiday, around the significance of living more with less, I am not overwhelmed nor overburdened by this call to action that consumes me. Instead, I am eager to dive into the tomorrow so that I can learn how to best live in order for my daughter to reap the benefits of my actions, attitude and commitment to this life that I have been given and to this life that I share with others.

Will you join me in this spirit of strength and renewal to cultivate the necessary change to shape our new America into the potential that we believe it can be? If not for yourself, then for those that live next door, those that are born today, those that have gone before you and for those that will arrive tomorrow?