President Reagan being shot. The Challenger Explosion. 9/11. Three days etched in my memory. Three days I know exactly where I was, who I was with and what I was doing. Three days that brought me to tears. Now there is a fourth. And this time the tears are tears of joy and hope rather than sadness and despair.

We made history last night. We proved that we can overcome our past and create a new future. We proved that in The United States anyone really can achieve anything.

I don't know how the next four years will turn out. I have great hopes for them. I hope that we will lead the world into a great period of peace and prosperity. I hope that we will regain the respect and admiration that we lost over the last eight years. I hope that people will hear a new call to service for their country. I hope that we as a people will look on last night as a great night of healing and reach their hands out to one another in hope and love and peace. I hope.

But most of all, right now, I am proud. I am proud I was but a minuscule part of the history we made. I'm proud of everyone that was part of that history with me. I'm proud of everyone who cared enough to go out in vote in record numbers, whether it was for my candidate or not. I am proud of our nation that makes dreams achievable for all people regardless of their ancestry, their color, their religion or their economic status. I am so proud.

An amazing thing was achieved last night. As a father, this has been a great teaching and learning experience. And as a citizen as well. All I ask now is that we don't lose the passion that was ignited. Reach out to those who don't agree with you. Find common ground. Look for compromise. Open your hearts and your minds to new ideas and find value in some things old. Experience the hope and be a part of making the things we hope for a reality. We are at the very beginning of a new road. How we travel it together will determine if it's a good road or a bad road. Let's make it great together.