God Bless Us, Every One.

Tuesday night, about fifteen minutes after the news broke, my phone rang. I was home alone and had celebrated the victory by jumping up and down on my bed and screaming. But things had since calmed down and I was flipping through my phone, calling and congratulating friends who, like me, had walked neighborhoods, manned phones and contributed generously. In between calls, my phone rang.

It was my daughter. 22 years old, she was at her second job, delivering pizzas in San Francisco. She has to work two jobs: she can't get a student loan for her next semester. She had left the pizza place when Obama had 207 electoral votes. Fifteen minutes later, as she got out of her car to take the pizzas in, the entire street erupted in screams, hollers and general madness. Her heart started pounding. She got to the front door, and was greeted by people who were basically going out of their minds with joy.

"Mom! Do you believe it?? It happened! IT HAPPENED!!" her voice sounded familiar but unfamiliar - then I realized why. It was the sound of her voice when she was a little kid - before life had happened to make her a cynical disbeliever. While I heard it, I was watching the teeming masses of people in Chicago and New York, and that's when it hit me, hard. I began to cry, and to shake. This was not just a squeaker victory - it was a landslide. It was what happens when the people say "enough" and take back their power. It was history - and God knows I've lived through a lot of history. But this change was big. So big. Capable of lifting millions out of their malaise and propelling them to action. Capable of putting a stop to the rape of the environment, the economy, civil rights. Capable of restoring hope - even to my daughter.

Although I was home alone throughout all of this, I felt deeply connected to my fellow Americans in a way I don't think I've ever felt. I was proud of us. We worked hard, we wouldn't take no for an answer, and we believed in the power of teamwork. Obama is, to be sure, an incredible figure. He is driven, he is smart, he has vision. He will be a great president. But we the people, together, we put him in office. I went to sleep last night feeling real joy.

And this morning? I still have the same stresses - I face mounting bills, not enough money in my bank account, credit card debt up the wazoo - but with one key difference. Today when I woke up, the first thought in my head was, "We DID it!" I smiled and leapt out of bed - and believe me, I'm not a leap-out-of-bed type. So bring on the new day. There's nothing we can't face - together. And if that's not real hope, I don't know what is.