Inauguration Day – A Spirit of Unity

Several days have passed, and I was sure that the excitement I felt when my wife and I attended the 45^th Presidential Inauguration would have worn off. Boy, was I wrong.

In fact, the more positive things I see President Trump doing, the more excited I am to be an American.

Angie and I had the wonderful privilege to be in Washington D.C. when Trump took the oath of office. We were motivated by many things he said from the podium in front of millions of supporters.

“We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be protected by God,” Trump proclaimed.

Wow – those words were refreshing to hear. To me, the United States has sadly put God on the backburner over the past eight years. The military and police have been portrayed as villains and held to an obvious double standard.

We were thrilled to be in the crowd and to hear unifying words such as — “Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots,” Trump echoed to a thunderous applause.

We were also thrilled to meet wonderful people from all over the nation who shared the same unifying spirit Trump boldly spoke about.

We met two young men, both college students from Cooperstown, N.Y., while standing in line the day before the Inauguration at the Longworth House Building to pick up our tickets to the ceremony. Bobby was a young Republican dressed in the typical blue suit and donning a red “Make America Great Again” cap, while MacGuire was a young Democrat dressed in more casual clothing. MacGuuire told me he was disappointed in the outcome of the election, but he wanted to see the peaceful transfer of power. Both young men were excited to be in Washington D.C.

 

They had the spirit of unity.

While riding the Metro into the city, we made friends with a couple from Michigan who were so proud their son was going to march in the Inaugural Parade. They were going to get up the morning of the Inauguration to be on the train at 4 a.m. to get a good spot on the parade route to see their son, who attends Virginia Military Academy.

They had the spirit of unity.

Also on the train, we talked to a couple of ladies who drove from Colorado for one reason – to pray for President Trump.

They had the spirit of unity.

On Inauguration Day, we met Zan and Emily.  Both ladies were from North Carolina and involved in local politics. We stood with them in our place on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol for about five hours the morning of the ceremony. We got to know each other well during that time. Zan was excited because Melania was going to wear a “Carolina” blue dress.

They had the spirit of unity.

After the ceremony, we walked to Chinatown for a bite to eat and became friends with Mike and Marco – two men from Houston, as well as a young married couple, Jordy and Claire, who were expecting their first child.  They were also from Texas.

Marco got on board the “Trump Train” after his candidate dropped out of the primary, while Claire was on board from day one. She is hopeful President Trump will appoint judges to the U.S. Supreme Court who are pro-life and share her values. “I just cannot imagine aborting a child,” she said.

They had the spirit of unity.

Finally, as we made our way to the Metro to head back to the hotel and relax, we spoke to military and national guardsmen and police who were there simply to protect us. They were all professional and polite, and we thanked them for their service.

They had the spirit of unity.

That spirit was everywhere. We did not give credit to those protesting and mocking the system as the winner. They were not going to put a damper on a thrilling experience. They exercised their right, but they were in the minority.

It’s a shame they did not have the spirit of unity.

The spirit most of us had was so evident throughout the weekend. Reflecting back, I can’t help but become more excited.

Trump’s words were long overdue. He praised our military and created a sense of togetherness by declaring America will be first. He placed a high importance on his need for God. That’s what we found so refreshing.

Trump said toward the end of his rally cry, “the Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America is united, America is unstoppable.”

America has reclaimed the spirit of unity.

 

Del Duduit is an award-winning writer. His work has been published in Sports Spectrum and Portsmouth Metro Magazine. As a sportswriter, he won AP and statewide awards. He has several years of news writing and broadcast experience. Del blogs on his website, freelances and also guest blogs for Almost an Author. He lives in Lucasville, Ohio with his wife Angie, and they have two adult sons. They attend Rubyville Community Church