O-BAMA O-BAMA O!

I have never been so proud to be an American as I am right now. I have never felt more hope and patriotism and belief in my country than I do in this moment. Not a moment of victory really, a moment of relief, confidence, and hope. So many of the elections - mayor, governor, senator, representative, president - incited action and awareness. I am most impressed with the way people came out and stood in line to vote, to be counted, to matter. I am also deeply humbled by President-elect Obama's "victory" speech because of his humility and grace (transcript in post below ... couldn't yet find the video of it.)

UPDATE: Found the video - scroll down to the FULL SPEECH ... the rest are just clips

I already look forward to State of the Union addresses and any chance I can get to hear/see him speak. I have been waiting for almost 8 years - practically my entire adult life - to have a president who could move and inspire me. I am so grateful to my Father in Heaven and to the Americans that voted for this opportunity to be led by a man of integrity, honor, and compassion. I firmly believe that if Obama keeps talking to the American people on a regular basis that we can get through the tough economic times ahead of us. Make no mistake - it will be tough. I pray that Obama has the courage to help us correct our mistakes and call us to action to do hard things ... like save money and work hard and be a little more faithful and trusting in each other. One of the most important aspects to this race and I hope it will be carried into his presidency is that of HOPE. I am tired of fear guiding this country and being lead along with a threatening rope of terror and fear. That is not real leadership. Encouraging HOPE where there seems like none is the mark of a true leader. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor of the First Presidency of my Church said this in October in General Conference regarding HOPE:

Hope is one leg of a three-legged stool, together with faith and charity. These three stabilize our lives regardless of the rough or uneven surfaces we might encounter at the time. The scriptures are clear and certain about the importance of hope. The Apostle Paul taught that the scriptures were written to the end that we “might have hope.”¹

Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness.² Its absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.”³

Hope is a gift of the Spirit.⁴ It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior.⁵ This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment,⁶ and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace,⁷ mercy,⁸ rejoicing,⁹ and gladness.¹⁰ The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet;¹¹ it is the foundation of our faith¹² and an anchor to our souls.¹³

Moroni in his solitude—even after having witnessed the complete destruction of his people—believed in hope. In the twilight of the Nephite nation, Moroni wrote that without hope we cannot receive an inheritance in the kingdom of God.¹⁴

^{(check out the talk: THE INFINITE POWER OF HOPE here).}

No, I don't think Obama is a prophet or apostle of the Lord, but I do believe that good leadership inspires us to reach higher and be better believers in ourselves, our neighbors, our country, and our God. Obama makes me feel that and I hope that those who are skeptical and unsure and maybe even full of hate and resentment, can feel the warmth of hope and have the courage to move forward and do hard things. Hope after all is nothing without faith and charity. Hope is active - again I quote Elder Uchtdorf:

There may be times when we must make a courageous decision to hope even when everything around us contradicts this hope. Like Father Abraham, we will “against hope [believe] in hope.”³⁰ Or, as one writer expressed, “in the depth of winter, [we find] within [us] an invincible summer.”³¹

Faith, hope, and charity complement each other, and as one increases, the others grow as well. Hope comes of faith,³² for without faith, there is no hope.³³ In like manner faith comes of hope, for faith is “the substance of things hoped for.”³⁴

In closing I continue to pray for the leaders of the world ... that their hearts might be softened and that they may comprehend the individual lives that they have so much responsibility for. I will pray even more that this climate of HOPE prevails and that action follows, lifting us to new and better heights.

On a lighter note ... here are some things I love connected to the election:

"Yanks Very Much" -
headline from a British Newspaper ... love it

O8
BA
MA

AMERICA,
YOU BARACK MY WORLD