I just couldn’t leave. Despite the fact that I was shivering from being outside for so many hours in bone chilling cold, I just couldn’t go inside. The energy and happiness and joy was just too intoxicating to leave! Plus the crowds were still just so immense that I was sorta sweep along with the masses.
I walked around the back part of the Capital and somehow found myself inside the area where once you exit, you can’t re enter. As I kept walking, I found myself at the staging ground for the start of the parade. All the Capital Police, the Miltary Bands and the Honor guards were all by the Capital, waiting for the President to start the parade and then lead down to the official start of the parade a few blocks away.
We waited, not realizing that the parade was delayed because of Senator Kennedy collapse at the luncheon, but we kept waiting. And waiting. Then the sirens started, the motorcyles started up, and then the Military bands started up ( the President had already reviewed them). Then the press on huge flat bed trucks came next and then the Secret Service and the Presidential Motorcade started rolling by us very, very slowly…. and then we saw the family and they were waving to us and smiling to us and yes- happy to be there! We cheered him not just like a rock star, but as our new leader and our president and one we were so very, very proud of. The crowds kept following the motorcade down the street, cheering, shouting and crying. So much so, that poor Joe Biden ‘s motorcade didn’t have a soul cheering him! I stopped following the motorcade and was completely by myself waving and cheering for Joe and Jill! I wasn’t 100% sure that the President actually waved to me, but I am 1000% sure that Joe did wave to me because no one else was around!!!
I’m leaving the city tommorrow, time to go back home to my own community and try and find ways to help our community , state and country to be the best we can be.
