The day after Barack Obama won the Presidency of the United States, I took my daughter Ari to the book store. I bought her a book called "We are All Born Free," which is a simplified version of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with beautiful illustrations. (I also bought her a pop-up book called Monsters of the Deep because I had to bribe her.)

We then went to Woodlawn Cemetery in Carbondale, where the first Memorial Day celebration in Illinois was held--one of the first in the country. There we sat among those who died for the preservation of our union and the freedom of African Americans during the Civil War, and I read the book to her below the chestnut trees on an unseasonably warm and pleasantly breezy Fall afternoon.

She was largely uninterested but liked the pretty pictures. The crazy ocean animals in 3D were by far her favorite.

Why did I do this? I don't know. I felt like I had to do something today, not just for me but for her. And this book is a gift to Ari. She won't remember this day but she'll have something with the day's significance attached to it. While she may not remember the day Senator Obama became President-elect Obama, the first president she'll remember will be an African American.

The first president I remember was Jimmy Carter. Funny. I've met both President Carter and President-elect Obama.

I love my country today. No, I've always loved my country. But today I'm really proud.