Where were you fifty years ago today when our beloved President John F. Kennedy was killed?

Some days stay etched in our minds forever.

November 22, 1963 was such a day.

It started as a very exciting school day for all of the students at St. John's Lutheran School here in Watertown where I was a fifth grader.

It was the day that the whole school would be treated to movie in the gym.

The movie was Treasure Island, but it didn't matter what the movie was because the fun was just being together with the entire school body, sitting with our best friends, and getting out of a half day of school.

There were 320 students and teachers in our little grade school gym that day enjoying the time with friends and of course, the movie.

All of a sudden about halfway through, the movie was suddenly turned off and our principal took center stage.

He made the horrible announcement that the beloved President of our country had just been shot.

The memories of Treasure Island were long gone as all the students and teachers bowed our heads in prayer.

Prayer for our country, prayer for the family of the President, and prayer for the killer, too.

I remember walking out in the hall during this break with my friends.

 We were all very quiet.

I remember talking with my friends about the fears that we all had.

I remember talking about the Communists and being scared that they would come and take over our country.

I guess that was a big fear for us in those days.

I am not sure, but I think we went back into the gym and watched the rest of the movie.

It had lost its excitement though and we were not on the same "high" as when the movie started.

 

I also remember the weather being very snowy that evening.

We were supposed to cheer at one of our Grade school basketball games which was out of town and there was question of cancelling it due to the weather.

The game went on though and I vaguely remember driving there with a car full of cheerleaders and somehow getting through that game.

Grade school basketball was one of the most exciting events we had in those days, but the game that night lacked luster and I am guessing we all just wanted to be home with our families wrapped in their safe, loving arms.

 

One other memory of that tragic day.

While watching TV with my family that night, we saw Lyndon Johnston being sworn in with his wife and Jackie Kennedy standing by.

I could  not believe that Jackie still had her pink suit on which was splattered with the President's blood and I voiced that to my dad.

I will always remember what he said to me.

He said, "There is much more to worry about right now than what she is wearing,"

Or something to that effect.

I remember he was mad at me when he said it.

I know now that I was putting the emphasis on the whole wrong thing at that time, but I was only a fifth grader and couldn't quite grasp the entire thing.

I guess since I still remember that so vividly, I learned something that night from my dad.

Funny what our mind remembers.

 

There have been other tragic days since then.

The assassination of Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and of course, Sept 11, but there is something about the events of November 22, 1963, my first experience with a national tragedy, that makes those memories so vivid.

 

So tomorrow, I will take a moment to remember a scared fifth grader who had no idea how vivid the memories of that day would still be 50 years later.

And then, I will say a prayer for our country because right now we need to keep God's name alive in this great country of ours.