My Sister Went to the Ball

My sister Amy, the youngest of my siblings, spent a lot of time over the summer and into the fall promoting Barack Obama.  I thought it was only fitting when she told us that she would be participating in the Big O's celebration and attend the inaugural.  With a close friend living in DC, she had a place to stay.  Her friend Ed came up with a mother lode of miles so they could fly for free.  She had her ball gown - a dress from our parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration a few years ago.  A big splurge was a pair of fancy shoes from Nordstrom's that were both ball-worthy and comfortable.

A few days before her departure, she stopped by and together we went through my closet looking for other things she might need.  She ended up with my suede evening bag; a long, black coat to wear over her gown - but probably wasn't warm enough as the temperature in DC was pretty cold.  She also used my husband's suit carrier for the long dress and coat.

Then, off she went with the good wishes and love of her entire family.

As Inauguration Day dawned, the frantic texting back and forth began. Just as I was about to leave my car after parking it in the train station before heading off to work, Amy excitedly called on my cell phone to tell me she and Ed had been interviewed by MSNBC as they rode on the subway.  I told her I would spread the word to the rest of the family and we would look for the interview on tv.  "Have a great time," I told her, "but be careful." The big sister stuff never goes away.

From the CNN live feed on my computer at work, I could see the mall in DC was rapidly filling up with thousands and thousands of people.  I texted her again:  "It looks so crowded!  Watch your purse and be safe!"

I decided to watch the inauguration ceremony in the Student Center, taking my camera to get some candid shots of students as they watched on the many flat screens.  It took a while for the Center to fill up, but well ahead of the actual swearing in, the place was filled to overflowing.  We watched as past presidents and dignitaries filed in and took their seats; then, finally, the new First Family came through the door.  We listened to Aretha sing, to the beautiful quartet play in the cold wind, listened as the preachers blessed everyone and our soon-to-be new President, and we watched with not a little nervousness, tearful eyes and smiles all around as he and the Chief Justice stumbled through the oath.  

But as the words, "So help me God," were uttered, the Center exploded in applause.  "You did it!" someone yelled to the screen.  Yes, he did.

We listened to the speeches, celebrated with some cake, (actually in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.,) and little by little the students found their ways to their next classes. It was a great way to watch the ceremony - with so many students who took in every word and left the Center with a definite happiness at what they had just observed. And I got some pretty good pictures for the College's website, too.

By the time I got back to my office, there was another text message on my phone from Amy:  "Safe and thrilled!"

 I guess that pretty much said it all.  Our baby sister had witnessed a high point in our nation's history.  The ball that evening was just the icing on the cake.

Amy sent text messages to just about everyone in our family who then passed them on to one another.  My sister Sue did some sleuthing and managed to find the MSNBC interview in an article in Newsweek that was posted on their website, and sent that around to family and friends.  Now Amy was famous, too!

Before she left, I had told Amy that while our dad's participation as a soldier in Roosevelt's funeral after he returned from the Philippines was a historic event for our family, her attendance at the inauguration hit a new high.  Happily, it's a high she is still savoring.