Proud

When I watched Obama's acceptance speech, I cried. If you know me at all, you'll know that this is not surprising. I'm a sensitive kitten, a delicate blossom, empathetic to a fault.

So it shouldn't surprise you that I cried.

But let me tell you why I did. 

I cried because this brave, dependable, determined man is still at the helm, and because I trust him to do his very best. I believe that nobody is perfect, but that he has all of our best interests in his mind and his heart. I feel safer, knowing that he believes in my ability to make my own decisions about my body. I respect him, because I know that he respects the American people, no matter what life may have doled out to various individuals. 

I cried because democracy works, that millions of dollars were shoveled into the gaping maw of this campaign, but that all of Romney's slippery money could not buy him the presidency. I cried because so much money was spent on this campaign-- on both sides-- when it could have been spent on our country. 

I cried because I cannot believe we are still fighting over whether women should be treated like second class citizens, and whether everyone should have the right to marry whomever he or she chooses. 

I cried because I was scared of losing my rights, because now I'm less scared.

Because I'm feeling hope.