Anniversaries

Today is my parents 63 wedding anniversary. I don't get too excited about other people's anniversaries because it doesn't have anything to do with me, but this one is important. Last night as Rich and I were getting ready for bed I said, "Wow, tomorrow Mom and Dad will have been married for 63 years. That is such a long time." He then said, "Yea, but 38 years is a long time too." I know being married to me has been quite the challenge and there have been times I have felt I should have stayed single and saved him from a long hard life. But we didn't and we have no one to blame but ourselves. I never really realized that my parents anniversary was also the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I have thought a lot about that day this week as the news has spent a lot of time talking about it. I still can remember when it happened. I was ten years and in the fifth grade at Tonto Elementary School in Scottsdale. I remember hearing a message on the loud speaker that the President had been shot and he was dead. I remember them sending us all home from school and my mind goes back to that walk across the playground to our home only a street away. I can still feel how confused I was at what had happened. This week I was asking my parents about it as they were both school teachers at the time. I asked them what happened to the kids whose parents worked and weren't home when we were all sent home from school early. It's a different time now, I don't think the parents are as naive as they were back then. We trusted everyone, something you can't do now. I think our country changed when our President was killed and with all the dysfunction in Washington now I think President Kennedy would be ashamed at what our country has become.