The Sound of Hope

Last week Asher and I watched the inauguration of President Obama-- I thought he should be present for such a momentous event even though he was much too young to have a clue what was going on-- And while the whole inauguration was beautiful and inspiring, I especially loved the musical number which was played right before the President took the oath of office, Air and Simple Gifts by John Williams, performed by Yo Yo Ma on the cello, Itzhak Perlman on the violin, Gabriela Montero on the piano and Anthony McGill on the clarinet. (And just as a note-- they "lip-synched" the whole piece because it was too cold outside for their instruments to be tuned properly.)



I simply LOVED this piece, it was amazingly beautiful and it pierced me to my soul. I think it perfectly captured the beauty, the peace, the grandeur, and the significance of America transferring power peacefully to the our first black president. We really take it for granted what a miracle it is that every 4 or 8 years we turn control of the most powerful nation on the earth over to opposing parties with absolutely NO VIOLENCE. In a world that is rife with political turmoil, it is really quite remarkable and is a tribute to our nation.

Even a week later, this music is still lingering in my mind and my heart. It seems incredible to me that there was once a time when blacks and whites went to different schools or when they couldn't even drink out of the same drinking faucets. I can't imagine a world like that. And it makes me SO grateful that my son will think it incredible that there was once a world where the idea of a black man becoming president seemed impossible. Hopefully he will never know a world where someone is discriminated against for the color of their skin. I loved the part of his speech where President Obama said something about 60 years ago he wouldn't have been allowed to sit in a diner with white people, and now he is President of the United States. What an amazing change in so relatively short a time, it gives me hope that in another 60 years we will have made many more such positive changes.

That is what this song captured for me, the beauty and the peace of HOPE. The hope that the world can be better place and that it can be kind, loving, and just. I can't help but wonder what other changes will happen throughout my son's lifetime. What other "miracles" will happen that I can't even imagine? Even though the world may get darker, I have faith in the good and that it will increasingly get brighter. I hope you enjoy this music as much as I do.