I was one of eight thousand people who filled the huge room for a glimpse of history in the making. For a chance to see him and hear him on the path, we hoped, to being elected President.

What struck me as I stood there, waiting for his entrance, was how small the stage was, and how small he would look standing on it. We have made him to be larger than life, casting him in our minds as the answer, the future, for some maybe even The One.

As he strode onstage, he did not sag under the burden of our expectations, didn't buckle under the crush of our cheers. His grand, euphonious voice filled the room, his words wrapping around us before rising to the rafters.

He stood tall. But he was, still, so small. One singular person, spotlighted and standing before thousands. And millions more.

And I thought, What a sacrifice. A willing one, of course. But, regardless, what a sacrifice to offer oneself. To accept the responsibility of fixing lives and fulfilling promises, to take our every hardship and hope ... while knowing that a lamb can so quickly become a scapegoat.

We have pinned our hopes and dreams onto him and propelled him forward to carry them out on our behalf. The weight of the world is on his shoulders.

I urge us, every citizen, to join together to support him. To carry our own part of the burden. United we stand.

And to his protectors, I plead: Keep him safe.

Godspeed, Mr. President.