Walking To The National Mall:
Once we emerged from the L’Enfant Plaza metro station and got over our initial shock… we were greeted with the bone chilling cold outside and even more shock! The streets were packed. There were people walking in every direction as far as the eye could see… There were police cars, emergency vehicles, cops on foot, cops on horse, news vans, chartered buses, helicopters over head, and people people people every where and all over.
The streets were blocked off and navigating through the crowds was almost impossible. Willae and I had to figure out where to go and how to get to the Silver Ticket gate section as indicated on our tickets. Our big brother Marcus agreed to meet us at the Merry Go Round after the inauguration as we went on our quest to find the Silver Section…
It was no easy task by any stretch of the imagination… It was still dark and it was very cold but we pressed on…
When we finally found the line for Silver Ticket holders we were stricken with thoughts of would’ve could’ve should’ve…. We couldn’t help but think that we should’ve took our chances and camped out…but we knew we would’ve probably froze to death… so we really did make the best possible decision considering the circumstances. That cold air was whipping through my body as we waited in that line and all I could ask myself was:
Was it Worth it?
Of course it was and I embraced it and waited with Willae and unlike many ticket holders we made it in! Our day started early and now it was a wait game. The gates opened at 8am (which meant we’d be waiting in the cold until close to noon for the swearing in ceremony to actually begin).
Well we were not as close as we’d like but again, we were grateful to be there. The National Mall was completely filled with people. The jumbo screen panned the entire area giving us an even better appreciation and perspective of how many of us were actually out there.
What we saw was breath taking and what we felt was amazing…Â If there has ever been a Kumbaya moment this was it!
For those that don’t know, Kumbaya is a song. Kumbaya means Come By Here. Here’s an excerpt of the lyrics:
Kumbaya, my Lord, kumbaya……
…..Someone’s laughing, Lord, kumbaya….
….Someone’s crying, Lord, kumbaya….
….Someone’s praying, Lord, kumbaya….
…..Someone’s singing, Lord, kumbaya….
It is fair to say that in every direction we looked there we were people laughing, crying, praying, and singing (including us). God was in the midst. The overall vibe at the National Mall was surreal, serene, and serendipituous. You could FEEL the LOVE. That Love is what sustained us all through that monstrous cold. I believe it is that Love that will rebuild and reshape this country.
The Change We Can Believe In showed its face a million times over at the National Mall and all over the world!
TO BE CONTINUED…
Majority Of The Photos From The Inauguration DC Adventure Are Provided Courtesy Of The Wonderful & Talented Willae Ivory
You 2 had a blast. I can tell from the pics.
Wish I could have been there.
I think the inauguration was well worth watching after all America is changing and every one of us should witness that change.
American is undergoing change…..lol this is only a publicity stunt.
your blog is very interessting