A momentous day

Today I have had two very major things to ponder, as the 44th president and first African American president was inaugurated into office ... and we received an offer on our house.

One is obviously a much bigger deal than the other one. It will go down in history, mark the hope that I and many other people have for our country - that anything is possible, America has made and will continue to make great progress, and that there are many people alive today who never thought they would live to see an African American in the presidential office and now they have. I truly feel that regardless of who one voted for in the election, this day is something everyone can be proud of. And I also truly hope that Barack Obama is as great a president as his speeches are.

The other will not go down in history, but is a very big deal in my personal life. The offer we were given was an incredible low-ball. So low, in fact, that I needed to control myself from being offended by it. I know that making the decision to sell our house at this point in history may not have been the most wise decision we could make; but I believe that this loss will be made up in the form of growth in my husband's career.

Regardless, it is still disheartening to have purchased a house, loved the house, poured our blood, sweat, and tears into the house, and then face selling it with a loss on all we've put into it, all the principal we've paid, and even a loss on our initial down-payment.

We have countered and are sincerely praying they accept our counter without further negotiations. We have very little room to breathe. I would like to sell it, put it behind me, and no longer think about how much we are losing and how much it stinks.

I am ready to be filled with more hope and joy. I want to feel optimistic about my future. Optimistic about the plan God has for my family and me. And, yes, optimistic about the future of my country with its new leader. The inauguration today sincerely moved me.

As I watched Aretha Franklin singing America, the news anchor Diane Wander quoted from Martin Luther King's famous speech, "This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." I burst into tears.

Today has been a heavy and exciting day.