Thank you for voting.

Although JR & I submitted our absentee ballots weeks ago, today is riling up my emotions.

This is my first presidential election as a mother so I imagine that has a lot to do with how passionate I feel, but also, I am so happy to see our citizens galvanized to action. The apathy that has haunted our nation (and particularly my generation) appears to be at an end and I am utterly grateful.

I hope against hope that the first president of the United States that my little boy becomes aware of is a black man. I want him to know that in this country, anything is possible for him and for the the other minorities living here. I want him to know that reaching for the stars is only the beginning. I want him to live in a nation that receives the respect of her peers and recognizes that we are not superior because we are Americans, we are merely luckier.

If McCain wins, my disappointment will be palpable regarding my nation's choice, but it will be buffered, at least a little bit, by the knowledge of how many people contributed to that choice.