Wednesday, January 20, 2021 is a day for National Forgiveness—not for Donald Trump, nor for his failed attempt to pull off a coup d’etat; not for the failure of his marauders to murder Vice President Pence or Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi; and not even for the disciples of hate to drag Americans, our history and our heritage through the muck and the mire of four long years of dishonor and deceit. Let our courts, our representatives, and history be their judge, and the deciders of their fates.

Inauguration Day is our day to forgive ourselves. It is our day to celebrate a new beginning, a day that marks the end to every sign, symbol, and utterance that speaks ill of America the Beautiful. It is our time to reassert our resolve, to recapture and elevate the spirit that never left us, to sing the praises of who we are, what we stand for, and all that we hope to become. It is our day to dust off the cloudiness and the weariness that shrouds our collective moral compass, that stills the rhetoric of hate, and that proclaims the glory that defines who we are—today, tomorrow, and forever.

My country ‘tis of thee
Sweet Land of Liberty
of thee we sing;
Land where our Fathers died
Land of thy Pilgrim’s pride
From every Mountain side
Let Freedom ring!