The 6th Floor Museum

I can't tell you how much this very plain page means to me. Up until the time I went to The 6th Floor Museum, all of my memories of the day President Kennedy was assassinated were truly those of a little girl. Even though I took every history and political science class I could get into well into college, I never really grasped any of it as other than facts. When I went to that museum, I had the experience of 9-11 under my belt, so-to-speak. As I walked through the museum, with my headphone narration in progress and in the lowlighting, I felt the weight and the gravity of the situation as if it were happening right then. I cried. I grieved. Not for any political agenda or anything like that...not because of whether JFK was the greatest president or the loss of "Camelot". It was because of what I think our Country has lost in terms of being "connected" to each other...the loss of belief in our President as the embodiment of "the people". Sad. Really, really sad. If it were to happen today, I wonder how it would be handles and how soon people would forget.

Anyway, enough of all that. This is what the journaling says:

Nov. 22, 1963 I was at my Grandma Scheel’s house helping to celebrate my Mom’s birthday. I was 5 years old and had no idea why every adult in my very small world

was crying...I took advantage, though, and went right to work eating the birthday cake, unsupervised! Grandma had one of the only TV’s in the neighborhood, and we watched the events unfold on a tiny screen, probably 10 or 13 inches. I remember John-John standing at attention as his Dad’s funeral procession passed, seeing him give his little salute, and not being able to understand why everyone thought he was “so brave”!

May 12, 2008, I went to the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas and experienced all of this as an adult. Though 45 years have passed, I was deeply moved by the entire “hallowed ground” (as Dennis said) and felt as though it was just yesterday. I understand now. All those history classes make sense now.

I think the BG is either Brandy Murry or Katie Pertiet. Sorry if I didn't get that right.