Sometimes the best way to appreciate something is to miss it altogether.
On Tuesday morning, the more than a million people on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall screamed a clear message: Barack Obama had been sworn in as President of the United States.
The message punctured the barricades around the Mall, saying to those who didn't even know the presidential oath had been administered, "you've missed it, history happened without you."
The line to the Blue Entrance for seating outside the Capitol had been full of hope. People with tickets from their Senators stood shoulder-to-shoulder for four or more hours. The sea of people only grew as the line stretched far beyond the barricade.
"This is the audacity of hope," a man joked as they waited.
As sounds rose from the Mall signaling Obama had just taken the oath of office, a silence fell beyond the gates that was only more palpable because of the excited atmosphere that had just preceded it.
Even when boarding a bus at 6 a.m., people crammed together proclaiming "Obama Love," and the sentiment lasted throughout the cold morning.
But the sound of cheering stripped away the smiles and silenced the swapping of stories and ubiquitous praise of the President himself.
Men and women started to cry.
When asked about their immediate feelings, eight separate people refused to comment; there was "nothing to say."
Ten-year-old Tiffany traveled with her grandmother from Los Angeles, Calif. to witness the historic moment. Her older brother had met Obama at school two years ago and she had hoped for a distant glimpse.
Her grandmother, a retired high school principal, had worked on every presidential race since she was Tiffany's age but had never witnessed an inauguration in Washington.
A number of older African-American people received sympathy from the rest of the crowd, some strangers even putting their arms around those left standing alone.
Rumors percolated through the crowd - the security gates had lost power, too many tickets had been issued - it didn't really matter now that it was over.
Gradually, it seemed people recovered and shouts of "this was Obama's day, not ours," received nods and cheers.
Down on the Mall, jubilation continued and was infectious. There was no way to avoid being whisked along both physically and emotionally by the weight of people.
But somehow it was up beyond the barriers that the real "Obama love" was felt.
Hope, disappointment, faith and resilience rang out in silence for America's first African American President.
The inauguration was over and on the Mall, emotions were deflating. But for the thousands in the Blue Entrance line, emotions were rising fast - the nation had a new President and although they had not seen it, they felt it.
