Inauguration ceremony exhilarates U.S. first lady

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Inauguration Day for Bill (Clinton) and me ended early Tuesday morning after a whirlwind tour of 15 Inaugural Balls. We arrived at the White House around 2 a.m. exhausted but exhilarated. We were also famished. We hadn't eaten since lunch and headed straight to the refrigerator in our private living quarters. As we ate leftovers from a family dinner, Bill and I had missed earlier that night, we chatted and recalled our favorite moments of the day.

It all began with a prayer service at the historical Metropolitan AME Church in Washington. I couldn't have thought of a better way to start Inauguration Day and the day honoring Martin Luther King Jr. As Bill prepares for another four years in office, he knows that he won't be able to do his job alone. He needs his faith and people of faith to support him.

The morning service, which brought together representatives from Christianity, Judaism and Islam, boosted the congregation's spirits and reaffirmed my belief that much more unites us than divides us. Friends from throughout Bill's life spoke and sang at the service.

Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago, spoke of the visits he and my husband have shared every month for the past four years, praying and talking together, strengthening their faith and building a friendship. Jesse Jackson and Tony Campolo, and evangelist minister from Philadelphia, delivered sermons challenging us all to remember our obligations to the poor. And Jennifer Holiday closed the service with a rousing rendition of "amazing Grace" that lifted the roof and our hearts.

After the service, Bill and I returned to the White House, where we greeted congressional leaders who had come to escort Bill to the Capitol. As we drove to the Capitol, I looked out the window and saw people already staking out seats along the parade route. I also saw a few protesters who reminded me of the greatness of our democracy and our right to disagree with each other openly and peacefully.

It was cold and overcast as Chelsea and I took our seats with Tipper Gore and her children ant the oath-taking ceremony. I held Bill's Bible open to a passage he had selected -- Isaiah 58:12 -- which he later used in his speech when he said we should all be "repairers of the breach." When he repeated his name after Justice Rehnquist, "I, William Jefferson Clinton," tears welled up in my eyes, and I thought I was going to cry. I felt proud and awed as I watched my husband walk toward the podium on the West Front of the Capitol, looking out toward the mall and the Washington monument.

I had been worried about Bill's voice for three days. It had turned hoarse on Friday, and I had pleaded with him to stay in for the weekend. (I am known in my family as an incurable worrier.) But Monday, his voice was strong and clear. As Bill began his speech, the sun emerged from the clouds and bathed him in light. Chelsea and I were amazed by the weather's good timing.

After the ceremony, we went to Statuary Hall, one of the most historic rooms in the Capitol for lunch with members of Congress. The menu was composed of dishes Thomas Jefferson served 200 years ago while he was in the White House. I sat between my husband and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (who, ironically, was seated to my left). Chelsea sat next to Strom Thurmond, who at 94 is still one of the Senate's greatest charmers.

When Sen Warner presented the President with the traditional gift of an already framed picture of the morning's ceremony, I did not remember the same event occurring four years ago. Looking back, I realize I was too anxious and overwhelmed to take in the details of my husband's first inauguration. This time, I was much more relaxed and savored every moment.

I was thrilled at the number of people who had come out on such a cold day to watch the inaugural parade. Bill, Chelsea and I walked the last few blocks to the White House. We saw familiar faces in the crowds and waved to them. Bill even caught sight of a man he had worked with on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while he was a student at Georgetown University 30 years ago.

The parade itself had everything from mariachi bands to polka dancers to gymnasts. I was especially pleased to see groups that I had personally invited, including Florida A&M's prized marching band and the Yelm, Wash., Elementary School Choir.

The hardest part of the day was finding the energy to change into our formal wear for the evening's balls. I was afraid to nap between the parade and the balls for fear of not being able to get up.

But before we knew it, bill and I were in the motorcade, dropping in on one ball after the other and dancing to "Unforgettable."

The energy of the people having a good time kept me going, even as my feet protested with every step. And when Bill and I returned to the White House, we realized we had carried all of the day's good feelings home with us.

-- Creators Syndicate