As the river runs freely over the rocks, the fish swim in the small eddy and we stand on the river’s bank of change with the biggest question ahead of us. How do we get to the other side? The River is deep and there are rapids but with the wind in our face we take a deep breath and hope we can find a way to get to the other side. We hope there is a better view on the bank over there; that we will turn from that bank walk away over the horizon into a new era, a new hope, a better future.

I hope so.

“What does change mean?” asked Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States and a leading intellectual of the Progressive Era. We can ask this question again now as our 44th President, Barak Obama, steps into the limelight. Many of us on the river’s bank of change hope and know we are ready for this. We baby boomers are a living history, a generation that have experienced more history in our lifetime than many of us will ever truly appreciate. Until history has been written for our children the impact will not be known.  As a nation, as a world, that watched the inauguration we now have to ask, are we ready to do what it takes to make the dream come true?  Can we step up to the challenge and put aside the differences and put our country back on track with the hope President Obama has given us for the future?

There are a slew of issues that need to be addressed. On his first day in office he addressed the economy, war and many other issues. As the second day in office began we will saw what else Obama has on his plate.

But as I watch our new administration unfold I am pondering some other questions. Will everyone want these changes ahead? This week on the History Channel is a series of programs on what all 44 Presidents have accomplished–and what they have not.  In retrospect it seems that our country takes two steps forward for change and one back, making changes in baby steps. Can we now hope we can just get on and take strides?

As our first black President steps up to the plate , we  can also ask what  it will mean for social change–not just for black Americans but for all groups.  Can the strength to dream big be extended to all people who have been oppressed?

President Obama is a man of hope, of change and decisiveness–all character qualities I admire. But changes in the hearts of man do not occur because we can enact law. People of all color, heritage, religion, and ethos need to want change for it to happen.

An example where change in law did not make change in people is the Reconstruction after the Civil War. Why did it fail? The Reconstruction failed on many levels because the “mutual distrust of the Northerners and the Southerners remained close to the surface.” (Donald Stark)

Have we moved past this attitude today? I hope so. I hope we can cross over the river to the other side. I hope we have come to the point in history where everyone can see their dreams realized.

I hope that we make our differences work for us. I hope that the new administration is not a platform to criticize the past. If we all believe and hope with our 44th President then it is time to hope, to put aside the blame game and work together. To not blame the prior Administration but, take ownership for the future. I hope that America can do it. I hope…