I confess. I am a political junkie. Tuesday night's Democratic convention had me glued to the TV like a football fan on Super Bowl Sunday. With bated breath, I waited for her -- and I was not disappointed.

I have been a Hillary Clinton admirer for years, a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party, a proud Southerner and a not-so-closeted feminist. I value justice, hope, grace, perseverance, honesty and second chances. I am aware the path that I often stroll down is paved with the (often-trampled) hopes and dreams and hard work of another generation.

While Hillary is far from aged, she is part of the generation that carved the way that lets me voice such comments as this. The generations and other dichotomies divide us more than they unite us. But Tuesday night, I believed that we are better together -- all of us: young, old, male, female, gay, straight, rich, poor, Yankee, Southerner, white, black, brown or otherwise. I laughed and cried -- during a DNC speech! I was excited and affirmed, yet I still carry an ounce of grief that Hillary Clinton will not be our next president.

In the hours that have passed since one of the greatest speeches I ever witnessed, I find myself clothed in something close to patriotism, something close to hope, something that renews my faith that my generation will create a path that our children will be proud of -- a path of unity, a path of equality, a path of freedom, and a path lined with equal pay for equal work, universal health care, and secure retirement.

I thank Sen. Clinton for speaking directly, regally and respectfully to each of us. We know that losing is difficult -- for her and for those of us who believe in her leadership. However, her professionalism and focus remind us that she will lead from the Senate as powerfully as she led from the campaign trail.