JFK

   

     Most people who are 60 cannot remember anything about the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated 56 years ago. I say this confident in the knowledge that most 4 year old children are not that cognizant of their surroundings. I included myself in that group until my Mom told me a few years ago, after a cocktail, that she had had a miscarriage the day JFK was shot.

     I piece this knowledge together with the faint memory of a strange afternoon my younger brother and I spent at our next door neighbor's house. We had been hustled over and told to simply sit on the stairs with our neighbor's children who were about the same age as ours. No real explanation was offered and nobody spoke for what seemed like a long time.

     I guess we were fortunate not to be told all the details of that day when we were so young. A little ignorance to assist in prolonging our childhoods. Not to worry, there were plenty of other haunting images coming through regularly on our TVs and in the newspapers. Though they were not explained very clearly either, by our parents, schools, or churches. Just goes to show how much courage it takes to create change in public opinion, societal customs, and our laws.