I received an email yesterday morning that sent me into a time warp. It was from one of my favorite bag stores:

“In 2008 we made an Obama BAGGU to raise money for his presidential campaign. Today, we are reissuing the bag for a limited time.”

I had never seen the bag before, but suddenly I was back in 2008, recalling the moment President Obama won the election. Jon and I were living in Sherman Oaks, in the hot, hot San Fernando Valley of northern Los Angeles. The recession had been steadily hastening, people were loosing their homes and their jobs, and we weren’t sure what was going to happen to us. We watched as the numbers came in to CNN, as California’s polls closed the state immediately went to Obama and we held our breaths in the one room studio. And then, they called the election. The joy was real. We were jumping up and down, cheering, and I was crying. It was a great moment, and I’m sure many, many people recall where they were that night and how they felt.

Now, 8 years later, it’s time to say goodbye to an amazing man, and to thank him for everything he has done for our country. It’s been a hard week, wrapping my head around what is ahead and anxiously awaiting the next ridiculous headline, but I am trying not to despair. I see the clouds of depression and fear looming close by and while they rolled further in this week, I refuse to let them take hold. This bag brought me both nostalgia and sadness, but it reminds me of what is possible when we mobilize together behind a movement. Today I’ll allow myself to feel the sadness and hide a little from reality, but tomorrow, I will wake up early, and I will march.

Baggu’s Obama bag is sold out, but hopefully they will offer more! Click the link, enter your email, and they will let know when they’re back in stock. Images by Baggu.