Welcome, Mr. President

It was a day of celebration, if ever a day for celebration was.

Around 300 people gathered at the historic downtown Lafayette Theater where we could, on the big screen, watch Barack Obama make history.

It would have been historic to watch anyone sworn in - only 42 other people (all man, by the way) have ever taken this oath of office. But it was so much more - he is, of course, the first African-American president, sworn in just days after the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., who did not live to see his dream fulfilled.

But it was also a day of mass celebrating, for the entire country, as watched the dawning of a new era - one that brings change, promise, and hope.

President Barack Obama entered office following the most unpopular president in history - George W. Bush's disapproval ratings were as high as 68 percent (according to polling date from CNN, the Pew Foundation, ABC/Washington Post, and NBC/Wall Street Journal). Obama comes in with approval ratings as high as 80 percent - and for someone who won this election with just over 50 percent of the vote, that says something about the country's expectations and attitudes toward this man.

Yesterday was all about celebrating. This is why we gathered with friends to watch this historic occasion, why my children all watched it on live television in the middle of the school day, why 2 million people made the trek to Washington DC. They knew they would not be able to get close enough to see, that they would be watching on giant television screens, standing in the cold for hours. But they just had to be there, to be part of that electric atmosphere.

(Incidentally, District of Columbia police reported no arrests yesterday - amazing.)

I've heard rumblings about the amount of money spent on inaugurations. And it's true - they are pricey. But I think it is important. First of all, few people ever achieve this high office. And for them, I think a little celebration is in order - they deserve to have their family and friends there to watch them cement a place in history. Plus, the money comes from private donations, and it's hard to believe that people would donate that money for any other purpose.

There is also the issue of the peaceful transfer of power, something not trivial and not to be overlooked. In 1993, Bill Clinton rode to the inauguration with the man he defeated; Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan did the same. All was civil; no gunshots were fired, no troops intervened, and the old and new presidents sat down for coffee together before making the trip to the Capitol. Together.

But I also think it's about us. I wanted to watch the pomp and circumstance. I wanted to watch the new President and First Lady walk the parade route; I wanted to watch the parade and the balls and the pageantry. And clearly, 2 million Americans felt even more strongly than I that this was their day, and they wanted to see it first-hand.

I was pleased that my children watched these events unfold at school. I remember sitting in history class in ninth grade, watching Ronald Reagan's swearing in. These moments are important, regardless of whom one voted for - I watched Bush sworn in, then Clinton, and even W. It's part of what makes this nation great.

That said, I think second inaugurations should be scaled back - way back. No balls, no parade, no excessive hoopla. You had the party atmosphere the first time, but I think the rest is a bit of overkill; it might be more appropriate to not repeat some of the pageantry.

We cheered when we saw the Clintons and Carters; we cheered when we learned that Obama had officially become president at noon, regardless of whether or not he had taken the oath. We cheered even louder when Bush boarded that helicopter and left.

Mostly, we just cheered. I was among friends, and we felt an intense kinship and camaraderie. We laughed and cried, hugged and cheered.

It was a great day - one of those days when you really feel proud to be an American. As I listened to the eloquent words spoken by our new president, I saw the image of the United States changing. This man (who, as he pointed out, is the son of a man who, a mere 45 years ago, could not have been seated in some restaurants) will bring us to a new place. We will, once again, become a country that other countries around the world respect. He spoke of treating all people as equal, of dealing with the challenges ahead, of ushering in a new and different attitude. No more torture, no more wiretapping and detainees. Stem cell research will be funded, and low-income women will have access to reproductive health care.

It's a new day. I am so proud to have been here to see it.