I was not at home in New York when Senator Barack Obama won the US Presidency in the most enthusiastic election of my lifetime. I was not even near a TV or radio. I had no idea he’d officially reached the required electoral votes until I called Daughter from the Emergency Room where we’d taken my mom just hours earlier.

This week of recovery after chemo has not gone as well as the last. This week, my mom’s white blood cell count is next to nil. Considering she has CLL, you’d think a low white blood cell count would be a blessing. However, it was so low, the concern was that if she were to get any type of infection, her body would not be able to fight it. Well… Daughter and I are here to help but Daughter has been suffering a terrible cold since the moment we arrived. She’s basically been banished to one or two rooms of the house so her germs can’t reach Mom. She’s such a trooper.

However, last night, mom started to run a fever. The on-call doctor told us to go to the ER. We still don’t know what caused the fever, but I’m happy to say, it’s gone. Antibiotics are involved. Antibiotics and watchful waiting.

Meanwhile, history was being made. I am relieved and hopeful now. With the man, Barack Obama, as the new – and clearly WANTED by a huge majority – American President, we may be able to restore some tattered alliances. We may be able to regain some pride in our country and our leaders. We may even find new hurdles leapt and new understandings abound. I am hopeful. I want a unified America. I want people to ask questions of each other and listen to the answers. I want no more of the preach and pander of the past eight years. I want no more of the hostility or fear of being either ‘for or against’ my country.

I am a proud American. I’ve always been. But I have never been more proud as when people of different faiths, nationalities, races, sexual orientations and parties came together as a unified force and voted in favor of the future. In favor of hope. In favor of change.

To those who still think we can never conquer the hate and divisivness of the past eight years, I’ll take the words of our new leader and make them mine – Yes. We. Can.

And we will.