First, Andrew Tobias made me cry. Joy at progress is tempered by reality. I want my children, and your children, allowed to marry and grow old with the people they love.

Then, Cory Booker made everyone hopeful that we will someday see his name on the POTUS ballot.

The cameras searching for the audience member with the most outrageous hat, sunglasses and bling is like the news crew that seek out the tornado survivor who is intoxicated and wearing tin-foil on their head. Stop that.

Nancy Keenan made me teary with a story about number 720. It was much more effective than the poverty porn competition that other politicians are using.

At somewhere around this point, I realized that the soundtrack to DNC 2012 is almost entirely on myPhone. I need to fill in the missing tunes.

Then, Tammy Duckworth walked on the stage and I mostly resisted the tears that wanted to fall. I don’t think she would approve of tears. I did feel humbled by her and proud of her. She should have been one of the final speakers of the evening.

The Kennedy video was effective. Using a politician’s politics to make their point at a political convention is completely appropriate.

Stacey Lihn spoke for every family with lifelong health concerns who live under the threat of HCR being repealed.

Lilly Ledbetter is still righteously angry. I want to channel her whenever someone tells me to “be sweet” or “keep your agenda to yourself.”

Just when it seemed that the best speakers were done, Governor Deval Patrick took command of the stage. Pass me the smelling salts. I think I have the vapors.

Having read the transcript beforehand, I expected a simple and sweet speech from our first lady. Without the screaming that some of the evening’s earlier speakers had done, Michelle Obama gave the best speech of the evening. It has been praised and criticized by the usual suspects, but their attempts to hone on what made it successful missed one thing. A wife and mother stood on a stage to tell the world that, despite the abuse she has endured the entire presidency and the loss of normalcy, privacy and time, she is willing to continue sharing her husband. Our first lady was loving, compassionate and generous with the class and sincerity that political opponents refuse to show her in return. Many of the tears on the faces of the audience captivated by the emotions in Mrs. Obama’s every word, were tears of heartache for the sacrifice that our Presidents’ spouses make for the country that we all love.