Inauguration Week: Remembering Where We Were

I suppose that millions of people in the United States and around the world will remember where there were on January 20, 2009 when President Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Will YOU? For many, including me, it marked an end of an era of greed and tragedy--- and a new beginning that brings HOPE and PROMISE of creating a better world that works for all. With it also came a new call for personal leadership from each of us. Are you ready?

What I loved most was seeing people coming together --- every sort and type --- an estimated 2 Million people gathering in peace and harmony for the world to watch. I heard yesterday that there were no problems. Doesn't this prove we can do the impossible if we truly want to invest ourselves and love our neighbors?

Today in the New York Times, a wonderful photo essay was shared by photo journalist, Bill Cunningham entitled On the Street: The Fabric of History. It tells our story in a way one can not express in words. See it now.

Earlier in the week, I read a passage from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that served to encourage us at this time of change, war, economic crisis and opportunity. His wisdom is fast-forwarded into this new time:

"...faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born." 
(Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, 1964)

May God bless our new First Family, our nation, and the people of the world.
May our personal leadership usher in a new era marked by us putting our differences to work to change the world and make it a better place than we know today.

What contribution will you make?  See Pledge Video. Make one! 

Best...
Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, Global Dialogue Center
author, Putting Our Differences to Work

Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership and High Performance
by Debbe Kennedy ▪ Berrett-Koehler ▪ 2008 – Hardcover
ORDER a copy at AMAZON.COM

As seen in futurist, Joel A. Barker's 2009 landmark film, Innovation at the Verge.
Click on the link to see a preview. See Joel Barker's commentaryon Debbe Kennedy's Putting Our Differences to Work