A Historic Day

Today was a historic day for our country. It's all over the news, all over facebook. I can't escape it! And even though I don't usually discuss politics, mostly because I don't like to argue, I have to admit that I am not as excited as everyone else. Or at least, I haven't been up to this point. But watching the inauguration this morning was pretty amazing. How cool is it that we live in a country where the transfer of power has been peaceful 44 times in a row? The image of President Bush and President-elect Obama emerging from the White House together was a powerful one. And even though I didn't vote for Obama, I am rooting for him and for our country. I hope that the change, the hope, that everyone is talking about takes hold.

But today was also a historic day in our house.

Today I registered Drew for kindergarten. This is a huge milestone in his life. Other mothers may be tearful because they will miss the baby stages, or because the time flies and their kids grow up so fast. Or they may be excited to have the break that kindergarten provides. I feel those things too. But I also feel that my time has gone by too fast. It was taken up with hospitalizations, and doctor appointments, surgeries and catheterizations, medications and therapies. I also feel triumphant. We have made it to 5. In the world of heart defects, this represents yet another milestone. The survival rate increases once a child reaches the age of 5. And here we are! We beat the odds, we made it. And the future is looking incredibly...normal. That is change I can believe in.