i very clearly remember the first time george bush proclaimed a national day of prayer. 

it was also in september, just a few days after those planes smashed into the towers, the pentagon and a wooded area in pennsylvania. 

prior to reading the official proclamation document and then hearing bush's address at the episcopal national cathedral, i disliked him both as a man and as president.  by dislike, i mean exactly that.  no less; no more.  i didn't focus much effort or energy on him.  if anything i saw him mostly as a source of quirky perverse amusement--one we really couldn't afford, but were stuck with for a couple more years.

his proclamation pushed dislike all the way to deplore; his address transformed deplore, converting it to despise. 

so it was on thursday the very last thing i coulda envisioned myself doing today woulda been expressing any measure of approval for the message he delivered friday...the national day of prayer he proclaimed in response to the horrors of katrina.

Miracle #1

the thing about miracles is they always seem to manifest themselves to those  who most want them to occur and are most eagerly willing to be convinced.  that's where i am now.  i truly wanna believe my president meant this exactly.  no less; no more:

"The greatest hardship fell upon citizens already facing lives of struggle: the elderly, the vulnerable and the poor. And this poverty has roots in generations of segregation and discrimination that closed many doors of opportunity. As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy of inequality."

i doubt i really need to mention how amazed i was to read that this morning. 

Miracle #3

i'm willing to give bush the benefit of the doubt. 

(it's gonna be obvious if he tries to backpedal or wiggle outta that statement...or his commitment.  i'm so hoping he wont.  THAT should be more than enough to balance my wariness and prevent it from diminishing that last miracle in any way.)