Four years ago, I sat in my bedroom closet with the door shut and wept. Last night I cried again knowing my children's future is brighter.
I am a proud Canadian. Living next door to America is part of our national identity. The USA influences our economy, our environment, our culture. We accept that reality. You are the 800 pound gorilla in our room. So I speak for the vast number of Canadians this morning when I thank Americans for electing Barack Obama. We are so deeply, deeply grateful.
I believe in signs. Serendipity is a beautiful and mysterious thing. And because this election was so profoundly symbolic, I want to share something that happened last night as I was watching the returns on CNN and NBC. Early on in the evening, when the red states were coming in and it was not looking so bad for John McCain, I entertained for a brief and terrifying instant the thought that the polls might be wrong. It was around then that one of our new kittens hopped up onto the side table beside me. She became fixated by something inside the shade of the lamp on the table. I leaned over to see what had captured her interest. It was a tiny ladybug.
It must have found its way into our house at the end of summer and here it was with me now, a signal to chill. Everyone loves ladybugs, but I really love ladybugs. I once spent a summer afternoon on a beach rescuing ladybugs as a swarm of them were being blown out into Lake Huron. This latest ladybug stayed beside me all evening (the kitten was redirected) as I watched America do the right thing and elect this remarkable human being to your highest office.
In his stump speeches, Barack Obama promised to change America, but he also promised to change the world. I could not cast a vote in your election, but I voted with my heart and I will pray for your new president.