Change.

Kids, today all anyone can talk about is change. Change is a sort of loaded word I think. Every morning that I get to wake up as your mother I know that I will encounter something new, something fun, something challenging. Each day is different. Nothing stays the same. Sometimes change is terrifying, sometimes it is exhilarating. Often it is both.

Raising children is the greatest and most important challenge of my life. I feel confident making a claim like that even though I'm 33 years old, because no matter what I go through, I will always think about it in terms of what my choices and how my actions teach you. You will learn from my failures as much (or even more) than my success.

Today, we break my cardinal rule about TV during the day. I've got the TV in the fridge (yes, we did have a TV in the fridge in 2009) on various news channels and we've watched the Obamas exit church and enter the White House. I didn't send Seamus to school today so we could be together and I hope that while you won't be interested in listen to 20 minutes of speeches (or 4 hours) that you will embrace this idea that something big is happening today. Your dad and I voted for Obama and Biden via absentee ballot because during the election we were in Charleston. We do not know what sort of president he will be (we also both voted for George W. Bush) but we participated and we are hopeful. This is an election like nothing I have witnessed in my lifetime, and I feel privileged to be raising children in light of how the world is evolving. Even though there is much darkness in the world, I think we are moving towards the light and that gives me faith in humanity today.

By the time you're reading this, we'll know what "change" really means to ourselves and our country. But I wanted you to know that on this day of transition, of ceremony and speech making, that we watched together and I am hopeful for your futures.

I want you to learn that leadership matters, that we live in a country that goes against so much of human nature and transitions graciously, that participation in politics is the only way to truly voice your opinion. We live in a time where people shy away from making big statements about what they personally believe. We often worry about offending the sensibilities of our friends and families. As a country we were built on dissenting opinion, we are meant to argue, fight and most importantly compromise. Don't be afraid of saying what you believe, don't be afraid of changing your mind. But always be respectful of other people and of yourself. Be courageous with your choices and be proud of your willingness to stand up for what you think.

I believe in God. I believe in personal responsibility. I believe that the United States offers the best model for government and I am grateful that this is where I was raised and where I am able to raise my children. Embrace people who have learned things in contrast to you. Understand why other people think the way they do. You cannot fully have an educated opinion if you don't understand the whole perspective. I look forward to talking politics and religion with you, I expect we will disagree on many things. I expect that I will be surprised by how much you will teach me and I hope that you learn a few of the good things from me.

Certainly, today is historic, but every day history is made. So your challenge is to see that each day is a precious opportunity for change. The only way to be a positive force in the world is to know who you are and what you believe, to be grateful and mindful of the world around you, and to wake up each morning with the drive and the energy to do something good.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

-President Barack Obama

Our favorite St. Paul police officer went to DC for the big day and even though we only got to watch on TV, knowing that Bob was there, protecting and serving, made us all feel a little bit special.