Election Night 2008

We got our tickets to Grant Park; we waited to see who would need to be our guests, who would be wait listed. We walked with crowds of people through four security checkpoints before going through metal detectors. We found our friends in the field; we stood and watched the election results come in, a state at a time. We were tricked -- we were expecting the West Coast results, to wait for hours more, and instead we were told Obama had won the election.

We watched McCain concede; we danced in Grant Park when he was done. We heard a sound technician say into a microphone, "Sound check...one two three...final sound check for the new President of the United States, Barack Obama."

We bowed our heads during a prayer, and put our hands over our hearts for the Pledge and National Anthem. And then...we saw history.

We walked out of the park and onto Michigan Ave., as all the streets were closed. We walked with thousands of others cheering, never feeling unsafe or scared, just cheering and smiling.

I can't recap the evening without sounding trite. I am too excited about it, about what all of it means, and what I got to see. I have become increasingly cheesy, but I don't care. I keep going back to the text sent to volunteers, sent after they called it for Obama but before the speech, like it is a love letter. I cry very time I read it. It simply says, "We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent, and passion to this campaign. All of this happened because of you. Thanks, Barack."