History in The Making

Something happened on the way to writing this blog. I guess it was history with the historic election of Barrack Obama. It was easy to get sidetracked.

As a young person I had seen history unfold with the assassination of John Kennedy. I was in high school near Annapolis, Maryland at the time and went down to the Capitol with several of my friends to catch the caisson coming by. I saw Jackie Kennedy and the children go up the stairs. Heard the heavy beating of the drums. Felt the deep grief with the thousands gathered there, some folks up in the trees. And I heard the shooting of Oswald over the radio as we stood twelve deep along the curb.

“Good riddance,” someone said. The only breaking of silence on that solemn day.

I saw history with the Vietnam Protest March on Washington and later, the Poverty March with mules come all the way from the Deep South. Heard Coretta King speak. A tumultuous time.

Now a new president.

History is that way.

We live it every day.

That’s why I love to research and write about it. I love the history of the Pacific Northwest from 1800 to the 1930s.  The Civil War.  World War II. The Depression.  Things really haven’t changed.  But every once and a while, an ideal comes full circle and a promise is fulfilled.