To grow hope, one must plant seeds of tolerance.

There are many of us that are celebrating the inauguration of our 44th President today. There are others that are not, and they have the right to speak their mind openly if they choose to do so. Many of us used that right to openly voice our pain at the election and subsequent re-election of George Bush. Remember how that felt before you tell someone that their hurt is unjustified and unfriend them because of it.

"Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

In order for this to happen, the actions that have been the constant for the past eight years need to stop. We need to erase the line between political parties, and unite as one nation to bring about the change that is so desperately needed. We need to set aside our pettiness, our name-calling, and our mob mentality.

The time has come to set aside childish things.

It is time for all of us to grow up, and accept personal responsiblity for our actions. We need to stop expecting others to bring about change and do it ourselves, in whatever capacity we can, large or small.
Whether Obama was the person you voted for or not, he is now our nation's leader for the next four years. Yes, he has a difficult road ahead of him. Mistakes will be made, and actions will be taken that we may not agree with. But give the man a chance to try his best before passing judgement on him. The words of Scripture also say, "Judge not lest ye be judged."
Change is difficult. We are notoriously resistant to it. It's disruptive, it's a pain in the ass, it's uncomfortable, it puts us out of our comfort zone, and it often makes us fearful of the unknown. However, unless we are willing to step out of that comfort zone, we will never grow as people, or collectively as a nation. We are the UNITED States of America. It's high time we acted like it. All voices deserve to be heard. Everyone deserves a chance to be everything they dream to be, regardless of race, gender, religion, social class, or lifestyle choices. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their head, food in their pantries, a decent job that rewards hard work with good pay, health care that actually helps people get well and stay well without bankrupting them, to live their lives with the person they love, whomever they may be, and to freely give thanks to the Divine Spirit that calls to their hearts. We have to be willing to defend the freedoms our Founding Fathers fought to provide us. Not just some of us, ALL of us.

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

The time for rejoicing, and for grieving, has passed.

It's time to get to work.