“This victory alone is not the change we seek.
It is only the chance for us to make that change.”
-President-elect Barack Obama, November 4th, 2008
When Obama was running for President, I was a very passionate believer. I still am. Not because I have put all of my faith on one man's basket, if you will. It isn't just Obama that I believe in, it is the Spirit of the American People. This is what inspires me. What I loved about being part of his campaign wasn't political...although it was nice to talk to people who believe in what matters to me, who were passionate about making a difference, who believed in the best of America, what I loved the most was being a part of something. Being part of history, part of CHANGE & feeling HOPE. To be surrounded by 100,000 people in Downtown Denver in October 2008, people surrounding me as far as I could see, people from all walks of life, all different backgrounds, each one of us filled to the brim with HOPE. We were there to seek change, not because we hate America, but because we Love America, we wanted the best for our future. While I was working on the campaign {canvassing & making phone calls}, everyone was so excited and full of energy. It was inspiring (enter rolling of the eyes and head shaking from all of the conservatives out there) and something that I am proud to have been a part of. I felt then that we were making a difference & I know that people would disagree now, but I still feel like change is taking place. {Let me just state for the record that there are some things that have happened that have left me disappointed with politics...on both sides of the aisle. The inability to come together and get some shit done is completely ridiculous to me...but I digress}.
During the election, I made a promise that "When Obama wins the election, I will do something to help my community." In 2009, we bought a house & we got married. This left me with little time to do, but still time to think.
In 2010, I promise to do. It has made me re-think what the word community means.
It is defined as (according to Dictionary.com):
com⋅mu⋅ni⋅ty/kəˈmyunɪti/ [kuh-myoo-ni-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1.a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
2.a locality inhabited by such a group.
3.a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the): the business community; the community of scholars.
4.a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage: the community of Western Europe.
I live in a suburb south of Denver, in a fairly diverse neighborhood. I just moved there and I am still getting to know my neighbors, etc. So, what is my community? Is it the physical location of where I live? Is it made up of the people that live & work around me? Or is it something completely different? Is my own community made up of individuals who have gone through similar struggles or have common interests? Maybe it is a combination of both. I have thought about this a lot over the last few months. I made a promise to make a difference, to give back, to help as I have been helped & I fully intend on keeping my promise. President Obama asked us to give back to our communities & to our country, and I am going to do what he asked. What better way to love your country, than to do something positive for someone else?
If you want to volunteer in your community, please visit Organizing for America on BarackObama.com to sign up.
I love your heart, Beth. Keep us posted on what you decide to do. :)
ReplyDeleteHi. Nice blog you have here. I'm an Obama believer too even though I'm from Finland. But he's got an enormously difficult task in his hands so he needs as much help as he can get.
ReplyDeleteAs you commented on my blog, I wanted to let you know that I moved because of some bad followers.