What a ride, huh? I wish my father could have been here to see this. Just think, this amazing journey started just over 2 months ago with the words…

“To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation. With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.”

And ended, after 52%, or 62,521,378 voters spoke out for change, we have elected our first minority president. Parents tell their children that they can be anything they want to be, but those words always felt so hollow. Not anymore. Now thanks to our new president and Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton, it’s not a pipedream for any child in America to believe they can hold the highest office in the land.

So, here we stand. At the doorstep to a new chapter in our collective history, reminding the world that anything is possible inside the borders of this great nation. And as I look back on aruably the most historic election in our nation’s young history, I can’t help but feel just a little saddened. Not because of who won or lost, but because it took so long for it to happen. My heart weeps for those who are blinded by any of a number of things that prevent them for seeing that this was the right man for the job and the right choice for our beautiful country. I’m saddened for those who fought and died to make this day a possibility but never got to see the dream come to fruition.

As I watched the coverage of the election last night, something reminded me that the struggle is not over. This was a great victory, but the war continues. We still have some very big issues in this country that need to addressed directly and emphatically. Racism, unemployment, a subpar educational system, an economy that is in a bit of a tailspin, a “war” that we had no reason fighting in the first place, homelessness, a wounded environment and a myriad of other issues. I’m not saying that Barack Obama is the answer to all of these. Hell, I’m not even saying he’s answer to most. But throughout his campaign, he expressed a genuine ability to affect change, not just in Washington, but in all of us. Because that’s what it’s gonna take to fix the issues that ail our society. Every one of us must step up and do our part to make, not only our city or town, state or even this country, but the whole world a better place than it is now.

I also gained a new level of respect for Sen. McCain. My hat goes off to him for being a true American. He has served this country for most of his life, and when he saw another opportunity to serve in an even greater capacity, he stepped forward. And last night, when the people spoke, he listened. He conceeded. It takes a good man to compete, it takes a great man to know when the competition is over.