Sister Barbara Battista was among the millions who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of Barack Obama. The following is her reflection about this historic day.
 

A Kaleidoscope of Hope

By Sister Barbara Battista

Yes We Can! And I was there.

A trek across the heartland to DC in a van filled with my sister, Mitzi[,] and her husband[,] Tom; my brother, Tom; our new friend, Larry from Farmland, IN[,] and me. Even the van, kindly leant at the last minute after ours started acting up, spoke of the need to be on the Mall, to stand as witness[es] to this significant event. We were on the way to a new future for America, in spite of the hard economic and threatening times that we will endure. Here are some images and memories of those five days.

An art gallery in Georgetown of, for, and by the people filled with interpretations of Barack Obama’s campaign, Manifest Hope: DC, including the iconic one by Shepherd [sic] Fairey. Celebrity sightings, postcards, picture taking, people texting, emailing, twittering, youtubing their messages of hope ... and we were there!

V St. NW where my niece, an economist for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics lives; and 14th St. NE, where we stayed with another Hoosier, Jon, who is into historic preservation for the National Park Service. I met Jon back in May through Mother Theodore! Volunteer service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day only lasting a short time for us, but symbolically important for all of us.

A luau at Jon’s house for over a hundred guests serving an Obama Sunrise (two parts pineapple/rum punch & one part champagne) and many other delectable delights not the least of which was meeting so many interesting people from all over this county [country] of ours. Spaghetti & meatballs with ‘O’ shaped cookies and cakes for dessert, with a decidedly younger crowd at my niece’s house the next night. Our hosts went to the Indiana Inaugural Ball on Monday and the Human Rights Ball on Tuesday. We enjoyed these gala events vicariously both nights!

Another outing included a trip to the Zoo with a Giant Panda sighting. Commemorative Metro passes, t-shirts, scarves, all types of hats, newspapers and postcards, decks of cards, souvenirs of all kinds at the Everything Obama Store on U street. Concerts & clam chowder in lieu of a half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl, where the wait for a table was approaching three hours. Greetings of “O-BA-MA!” “Happy New Year!” This is an “Obamanation!”

And then THE day began, starting out at dawn, packed like sardines in the train. Tears of joy and hope; and obvious security on rooftops, on the street and in the crowds, but not one arrest that amazing Inaugural Day in Washington DC, capital of our nation, where there was a peaceful transfer of power in our democracy.

And more, so much more was happening in the minds and hearts and spirits of the hundreds of millions of persons watching from all over this home we call Earth. Millions on the Mall and millions in the Metro, and we were among them for this moment in history. Cold and sunny and nothing could dampen the mood, not even the long waits to board a train. Talking, high-fives, and sharing food with friends and strangers alike. Locals as volunteers welcoming us to the Mall with obvious glee, and pride, and joy. Streets full of people, some vending items, most just walking along finding our way to this most important event, and doing so collectively, with purpose and with determination. And then, after all the formal introductions and preliminary proclamations we saw, we heard, we felt these words: “I, Barack Hussein Obama … preserve and protect …” with Michelle holding Abraham Lincoln’s bible and their two girls watching. The applause, the glee, the excitement … little flags waving, forming a sea across the length of the Mall and beyond. Cameras and cell phones, homemade banners and signs, pins of all sizes and colors ... and people too ... and citizens and languages and cheers from around the globe. Young folks and older ones filled with hope and ready to do the hard work of real citizenship.

As my favorite pin says, BE THE CHANGE.

Energy and the arts framed this collage. The Audacity of Hope! And we were there!

Click here for the reactions and reflections of Sisters of Providence concerning the election and inauguration.