Four Funerals and a Wedding

Dear Lucia,

Although you won't remember it, you have traveled to you mother's home of Detroit twice in a two-week period. The reason was a wedding and funeral. You have been to two of the more important events in your extended family's existence and you're barely two months old.

The fact is that your mother has a very large family. This means that you will have several more events like these to attend. Most of your extended family (including my half) live in the Great Lakes region (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc.), so you will become very familiar with this area.

The wedding was for you mom's cousin. Weddings bring people together as it is a celebration of two people who love each other and want to commit their lives to one another. Your grandparents have done it. Your mother (by the grace of god) married me. Your aunties Tara and Susan did it right before you were born. Lots of people do it. (Of course, some voters in California and other states only think certain people should have this right, but that's a letter for another time.)

It also celebrates the induction of a new family member. For example, when your mother and I got hitched, she became part of my family and I joined hers. Whether we like it or not, when we marry (or make some sort of formal commitment), we are also saying that we accept our loved one's family as our own.

This past weekend, we attended the funeral for your mom's grandfather. He was the patriarch of your Grandma Barb's clan. He was a great man whom your mother will tell you all about someday. It was a rather sad loss for the family to lose an important piece of its history.

Although the funeral was a sad affair, it was also very life-affirming. I attribute some of the happiness to you. Although your mom's family lost someone very dear to them, you entered and gave hope for the future. It also allowed the family to celebrate your arrival in dealing with their sadness. Just as the wedding from the previous week helped welcome a new family member, your birth and subsequent trips to Detroit signaled a new beginning for your mother's family.

So, you have a very important part in your Grandma Barb's family lore. There's nothing you have to live up to. You just have to live your life and be you. So, welcome to the family, Little.

Love,

Dad

Barack Obama

Dear Lucia,

Last night, Senator Barack Obama won the election for President of the United States of America. Obama became the first African-American to win the highest office in our country's government. He did this with a campaign based on hope, change, and populist ideals. Our new president has also displayed tremendous leadership, an uncanny resolve, and an intellect absent from a modern political discourse that is riddled with partisanship and pettiness. Barack Obama has proven himself to be a remarkable candidate.

President Obama's victory was more than just a man winning an election for public office. It was a social and cultural event like none other in my lifetime. I have been overwhelmed with emotion due to joy three times in my life. First, I wept and earned the title "Waterworks" when I married your mother. Second, Your arrival a little over seven months ago was maybe the most amazing, beautiful thing I have ever witnessed. I cried so uncontrollably that I could barely answer the hospital staff when they asked for your name. Now, there's Obama's win. I have teared up and choked back cries of joy ever since the election was called in his favor. It has overwhelmed me with pride and emotion.

What Obama's victory means is that anything is possible. A black man named Barack Hussein Obama was chosen to lead our country because he is the most qualified person for the job. People looked beyond ignorant stereotypes and fear to see a leader in Mr. Obama. Hope was not just a campaign slogan or theme. The word is personified by Barack Obama. It's now possible for any kids, no matter her race, gender, wealth (or lack of) can reasonably be president.

It's a good day to live in the US, Lucia. The possibilities with this victory are endless for you and your generation. Barack Obama ran on a campaign of hope and promise. You will grow up in his America. I'd say that's a good way for you to start.

Love,

Dad