God bless you.

I thank God and I am happy that Barack Obama has been elected President of the

United State.

That he is the first black to be so elected is not the main reason for my

gratitude and happiness. Sure, that's beautiful history, perhaps long overdue. And I don't

believe that Americans--mostly white, remember--elected him primarily because of some

moral guilt over longtime racial injustice or some deep-seated, feel-good generosity to

give a black man a break.

Americans elected him because he was the best candidate. He had the best

background, said the right things, made the best impression, ran the best campaign and

represented the best hope for real, substantial, positive change for and the healing of

ailing America.

I was there in Washington, D.C., in 1963 when Saint Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

led us in the civil rights march on Washington. It was for progressive breakthroughs

like the unprecedented election of Obama that we marched and demonstrated. That

could happen only with much of the fulfillment of King's dream taking place.

Now, it has happened. The blood, sweat and tears shed for this milestone are now

justified and the mythical America that patriots dreamed of, soldiers fought for and the

constitution called for is now closer to reality.

What got Obama elected was faith. We believed he is the best man for this job at

this particular time with America being in the terrible condition that it presently is. We

prayed to God for such a man as he presented himself to be. God answered our prayers

and gave us him as an apostle of hope for real healing. Now, the real work begins.

More than a million people have come to Washington to witness or to be near

Obama's inauguration and swearing-in. It's like one big family reunion, Carnival,

Woodstock, Monterrey, Mardi Gras, World Cup, Super Bowl and more all rolled into one.

Because so much is being reported about this historical first, his election and

inauguration is probably the most commercialized in history. Obama coins, pictures,

T-shirts, pencils, caps, cups and whatever else are sold at almost every store or

traffic stop.

Our prayers have been answered. Our faith has been fulfilled and rewarded. And I

am grateful and happy for this as we all should be. But we should be happiest and most

grateful for the work that now stands before us instead of for the work that has been

completed.

Now, the same faith, sacrifice and hard work that we exercised to get Obama

elected must also be exercised to heal America. The mere election of Obama will not

accomplish that. He can not do the job alone and the job will not be done overnight

because America is in the worst shape it has ever been economically and the economy

will get worse before it gets better because the population of the millions who have lost

their homes, their jobs, their pensions, their savings, their healthcare insurance, their

dignity, their hope and their trust in American leadership is increasing every minute.

Less we forget, millions also voted against Obama and millions will remain

against him, don't want to see him do well, don't want to see America healed and will

continue to work against what he does and what he stands for. There will be domestic

terrorists working to sabotage the good we will try to do. There are still congressmen

and senators in Washington who have sold out America's best interests because they

are in the pockets, and on the payroles, of special-interest lobbyists. But we must still fight

to put our faith in God and our faith in America to work.

So much wrong has been done to America by so many for so long that it will take

a miracle for these wrongs to be righted within Obama's term if they ever will be

righted. But we must hold onto our faith in God and our faith in America. That is what

has brought us safe thus far and that is what will lead us on to excel and prevail.

Our will to build must be stronger than our enemies' will to destroy.

Our will to love must be stronger than our enemies' will to hate.

Our will to help must be stronger than our enemies' will to hinder.

Our will to heal must be stronger than our enemies' will to kill.

Our will to live and work together must be stronger than our enemies' will to separate

us and turn us against each other.

Now that God has blessed us with Obama, let's bless God by putting our faith in

Him and our faith in America to work by doing those things that will heal, save and

rebuild America to be stronger, richer and more unified than ever before. And the hope

of these accomplishments coming to pass is the best medicine that sick people like me

can have. And it's also the best preventive care that everybody else can have.

God bless you.