In her lifetime

I was there when history was made.

I was at Mile High Stadium 45 years to the day after Dr. King described his dream.

Sitting behind me was an elderly black woman from California and her family. Her and her husband both wore handicap stickers and labored to get to their seats in the fifth and very top level of Invesco Field at Mile High.

We talked about her love of the Golden State Warriors, a team she has followed for decades. Although she said she is from Oakland, she assured me, while sitting seven sections from a giant Bronco logo, that she never roots for the Raiders.

We also discussed the moment. She explained with a special joy how much it meant to her to see the first African American candidate for president formally accept that nomination. She didn't say it explicitly, but I interpreted in her excitement a wonderment that she could experience such a moment in her lifetime. The fact that her and her husband, both handicapped, chose to cram themselves in the fifth level of a football stadium hundreds of miles from home expressed that meaning.

She was in her seat nearly as early as I was (about 1:30 p.m.) and enjoyed the entire event. Her few times leaving her seat were labored and assisted by her granddaughter and a cane.

When Barack Obama spoke, her smile only grew. Every applause line inspired an enthusiastic "That's Right" from behind me. And, when Obama hit a special chord, she would raise her hand, fingers spread, close her eyes, shake her head and say "Mmmmm Hmmmmm."

My time at Invesco Field at Mile High was filled with live music performances by Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and more. I heard speeches from a Nobel-peace-prize-winning former vice president (Al Gore), a father of the civil rights movement (John Lewis), Governors from around the nation (Virginia, New Mexico, Colorado and others), and Representatives and Senators from around this nation. I saw emotion unique to any event I have ever attended. I saw a fireworks display and pageantry that blew my mind. And, I saw a speech that many describe as the best acceptance speech ever given by a prevailing party candidate.

I was present at a proud and historic moment in our nation's history. But, for some reason, my most vivid memory is the jovial old lady who sat behind me and lit the stage with her joy.