Gloriosky Zero! Inauguration Day at Last

Today is inauguration day. “Gloriosky, Zero!” my Mom would have said.

My Mom was a lifelong Democrat who proudly sported a “Placer County Democrat” sticker on the back of her car and who didn’t care what the politically conservative members of her church thought when they saw her drive into the parking lot. In fact, I think she kind of thrived on the attention.  “Gloriosky Zero” was one of her favorite phrases. She said it all the time. Here is a gift from Mr. Google, something I never knew until I thought to look it up just now. “Gloriosky” was the catchphrase of Little Annie Rooney, the main character of a comic strip that launched in 1927 and ran until 1966. Little Annie had a dog named Zero. Evidently, Little Annie said, “Gloriosky, Zero!” a lot. There you have it.

All these years I thought my Mom invented that crazy phrase.

Nope. She was just repeating something from a comic that she probably enjoyed as a little girl, and which she was able to read for years and years, even up until the time I was born.

This inauguration day feels very sweet. Because it’s been a long four years, friends.

Honestly, the last week or two have been torturously long, all on their own. The days grew dark, and the gloom still looms, but hope is stirring. Maybe our endless winter is starting to thaw. There’s still a lot of work to do, and so much healing, and so many problems and brokenness. But at least today? There’s a different family in the White House. And they have a dog! Actually, not just one dog, but two: Major and Champ. Major, a German Shepherd, will be the first rescue dog to ever live in the White House. How about that?

So Gloriosky Zero, friends! My Mom would be so pleased. Let’s take it all in: rejoice, celebrate, make a little ruckus, rest a bit, and then get to work. There’s a lot to be done. But for the first time in a long, long time, hope has reentered the building. It’s so good to have her back.