I was seven years old, in second grade and had been sent home from school early. When I entered the house, my mother was watching our small black and white television, something I never saw her do during the day. She was crying. 
I was confused. Two years earlier, I saw my parents crying a lot; my baby sister Paula had died in her sleep. I remember how my sister Naomi, then 3, and me, then 5, were brought into our bedroom and the door was closed. Policemen and our pediatrician, Dr. Goldenring, came to the house. What had happened now? My brother David was only seven months old. Had something happened to him?
In time I was told the magnitude of the event though I’m sure I didn’t understand the significance. I remember watching the funeral procession on television and seeing the First Lady and her very young children, now fatherless. It was beyond my comprehension. For sure I didn’t know then that it would become the first in a series of indelible dates that would mark my memory from then on: The subsequent assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy; the 9/11 terrorist attacks; Sandy Hook, and so many more.
Fifty years after this horrible assassination, guns are still readily available.
cyclingrandma 
Thank you for sharing your personal memories. How scared you must have been. It hurt my heart to think of the poor little 7 year old you going through such pain and fear, beyond what you later found out was the assassination.
I was 10 years old and remember the atmosphere of our house and the school when we returned. I remember my parents becoming quiet. I remember being glued to the television, especially during the funeral procession. The ‘riderless horse’ intrigued me, and does to this day, as does the ‘missing man formation.’ I believe the events, images, and atmosphere at that time became a part of who I am.
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Yes, I agree. We are shaped by these events. Thanks for sharing your memories too.
On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 4:21 PM, cyclingrandma
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Lisa, I was in Room 244 in South Orange Jr. High waiting for an 8th grade class to arrive. It was my second year of teaching and the students came in buzzing about the president being shot. I didn’t believe them at first until the principal made the so sad announcement. The first reaction of one of the students was fear. When he heard a plane go by overhead, he called out “Are the Russians coming to get us?” It didn’t even enter my radar. I was just numb. I can still see the boy’s face even though he is a man in his sixties today. Joan
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That was my classroom too. And I was there 9/11.
On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 5:38 PM, cyclingrandma
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I had just turned 6 on Oct 30. I had always identified with Caroline who was born on November 27 1957. My mother had tried to get me into the the first grade but failed. I was unable to lie and say I was born in 1956 instead of 1957. I was sent home at 2 weeks after school started.The Head Start Program would not start until around 1965. I was home with my Big Mama watching Soap operas in between reading the books she had lined up for me. She was the baby sitter for her grand kids. The Soap was interrupted by the news cast. I just remember the sadness. I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. I need not repeat all the events that were unfolding.
Thanks Lisa.
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Thanks for sharing, Judy. I can’t imagine living in the south during that turbulent time.
On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 6:10 PM, cyclingrandma
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I did not experience this event but have so many others: the death of Lady Di, the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, the fall of the twin towers.
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Remember those as well.
On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 7:07 PM, cyclingrandma
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It’s amazing to me how many people loved him around the world! I was born in ’63 – the year he was assinated – I grew up knowing that and sensing that this was an event of importance.
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Love the way you describe your memories so vividly. I could just picture the whole thing. Thanks for sharing. It’s so interesting the imprint on everyone’s lives that remains from this event.
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And the resounding sadness.
On Fri, Nov 22, 2013 at 7:28 PM, cyclingrandma
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Some events stay in our minds for ever. It was a very sad day for the whole world.
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Just my opinion…guns should never have been invented. History has shown it’s been used as a weapon of mass destruction, comparable to what the atom bomb accomplished in seconds. That was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence (hopefully). Killing with guns continues with no end in sight.
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Yes, I think it’s even easier now to get guns than 50 years ago. Just walk into Walmart.
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And with the ever-expanding global population, guns in the wrong hands no longer draws attention. It’s a given…
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We have extremely strict gun laws over here. I think that’s a good thing.
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Much more civilized. If we could only learn a thing a two from you all.
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Thank you for sharing your memory of that day. I can imagine it must have been so scary and the world so unsure. Not unlike how I felt on September 11, 2001.
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Powerful memories… such a hard, sad thing to imagine it was your brother. Such hard losses for your parents, and their young children. Thanks for sharing, Lisa.
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Oh, Lisa, my heart goes out to you and your parents for your loss. And what vivid memories you have. I was in the third grade, and my dad had died the year before. That was the first time I had ever seen my mother cry. Another teacher came into the classroom to tell my teacher, Miss Moag, who started to cry, and I knew something very bad had happened.
There are lots of people who hate and fear guns, and the inevitable violence they bring about. I would never have one in my house, or go into a house where they are kept. The NRA is an ugly bully that doesn’t care about people. It has such a stranglehold on congress that I don’t know how we can ever break free.
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Thank you– and I’m so sorry for your loss. Losing your father at such a young age — you certainly could relate to the young Kennedy children. Guns–sadly — too many in this country view them as a right, not a threat. Not sure these ideas will ever change, no matter how many Sandy Hooks, etc. seem to happen.
On Sun, Nov 24, 2013 at 5:37 AM, cyclingrandma
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Dear Lisa,
I think maybe we both grew up a little sooner than we might have chosen. Maybe that is one reason we both feel so strongly about the unacceptable tragedies that uncontrolled access to guns are causing for children and their families every day.
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Nice way to put it.
On Mon, Nov 25, 2013 at 4:18 PM, cyclingrandma
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So well said Lisa. I could not watch any of the programs on JFK this week, I get a lump in my throat and feel sick to this day. I was a sophmore in high school in Dover NJ and I couldn’t understand it either. What unbelievable sorrow for your family, and your last sentence…
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I can’t watch any of the shows either. Nor any about 9/11. Too close.
Thanks, Chris.
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