Last Tuesday began with mourning and grief over the death of a civil rights icon and ended with the celebration of American virtue and leadership.

The day began with the sad news that Coretta Scott King, widow of the late Martin Luther King Jr., had passed in her sleep at the age of 78. The news was not all that surprising; Mrs. King’s health had been failing since she suffered a massive stroke last August. It was heartbreaking nonetheless. She was a woman that projected strength, dignity and grace. Though forced to endure personal tragedy in the public spotlight, she never faltered. She continued the work begun by her late husband, raised four children and was a constant reminder to all Americans that the challenge of visionaries is to have the courage, persistence and patience to turn dreams into reality.

It was only right and proper that later that evening in his annual state of the union address President Bush honored Coretta Scott King. He did so not only in remembering her at the top of the address, but also in the speeches overriding theme of confidence in the American people and trust in American values.

The movement that defined King and her late husband (as well as the late Rosa Parks, another icon to the civil rights era that we lost recently), was one ultimately driven by optimism.

The movement was a demand for America to rise up and defeat the twin evils of bigotry and segregation. However, it was also a demand fueled by faith in God and a devotion to the principles of equality and liberty upon which this nation was founded. It was a demand made with the certainty that America would honor its promise and live up to the “true meaning of her creed.

Stripping away all of the pre-analysis, post-analysis, overlong speeches filled with applause lines, empty promises, disinterested congressmen and perfunctory nods in the direction of bi-partisanship that have come to symbolize so much of the annual state of the union address, the vision offered by the president was one filled with a similar faith in America’s founding principles, belief in American strength and demand for American leadership.

Like the late Mrs. King, we are indeed living in historic times. Our nation is in a time of testing. We are engaged in a very real battle of blood and ideology with an enemy that embraces a culture of death. Islamic fascists are intent on imposing a totalitarian government on the people of the Middle East and the rest of the world and will bring weapons of mass murder to bear on the people of America in order to achieve their ends. We are engaged in an economic contest with China that demands we improve the education of our children and train American workers for the technology jobs that will drive the world economy. Domestically, we are challenged with balancing entitlement spending with our commitment to the poor and elderly, expanding opportunities for ownership to all citizens while nurturing the American entrepreneurial spirit. Success hinges on national unity, resolve and most of all American leadership.

I am certain Mrs. King and so many others that committed their lives to the uplift of all people came to “a point of choosing.” There is little doubt that in quiet moments they asked themselves “should I go on?” And, “can I lay this burden down?” As the president eloquently reminded us, we must march forward because “Americans have been called to leadership in a time of consequence.” On Tuesday, we learned that with faith and determination, with the dignity and grace exemplified by great Americans like Coretta Scott King this nation will shape history instead of being shaped by history.

That is reason to celebrate.