Sad Day

47 years ago November 22 was a sad day for me and the whole world. Time seemed to stop. It was not real. Three days of news reels and tears. Lee Harvey Oswald shot in front of our eyes and then Jack Ruby. So much speculation. One shooter or more. Did Johnson have something to do with it. Can we trust him to be president. I was 21 years old and had voted in my first presidential election. Mr. Kennedy was special. His family was special. How could this happen? I remember as though it was yesterday. Dressed in a gray dress, it was about 1:00 in the offices of Blue Cross of Oregon in Portland, I had just returned from lunch. The announcement came from the administrator's office and quickly circulated throughout the 4th floor. It was so quiet. No one spoke, we were all stunned. The entire building closed immediately. My girlfriend and I drove to her parent's house where we remained clued to the black and white television for those long tearful 3 days. John John's salute brought the only smile through the tears. It seems as though our political system began a slow decline from that time on.