We have a charming tradition in our household of trading the responsibilities of making a toast before each meal. Tonight it was my turn but adequate words could not find their way out. As you know, I have spent the past few weeks taking stock of my priorities, goals and dreams. I wonder how many millions of Americans around me have been doing the same. We have been swept up in a tidal wave of global consciousness that we are riding into January 20th, 2009. There is no denying the electricity in the air. At times, I wasn’t so sure that I’d make it to this place with all my limbs… or at the very least- a majority of my mental facilities. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was riding in my new girlfriends Jeep when we turned onto 3rd Ave and faced a sea of protesters filling the streets. That was March 19th, 2003 as the president’s proclamation of war filled the airwaves.

But tonight, I look out my window into the deep fog that envelopes my beloved city and I feel that the haze will soon be lifting. And that tomorrow morning, it’s more than just another day that awaits. In that spirit, I raise my glass to a new era. To each and every individual out there that donated time to serve our communities today because I believe that is what shows America’s true colors. It’s what I find most promising right now- the prospect of ending the divisions that have been the centerpiece of the last eight years and moving beyond those petty barriers. Because we are not just blue or red, black or white, muslim or christian, queer or straight. We encompass all of those things and so, so much more. Cheers to the end of this era scarred by fear-mongering propaganda, religious extremism, social injustices and smothering deceit. Cheers to the dawn of a long awaited intellectual discourse among us all as we take on the enormous task of rebuilding our country. And of course, cheers to our soon-to-be-President Obama, for inspiring millions to again put power behind the words “by the people, for the people”.