**A gentle knock was heard on the door, as Sister Christine Marie moved quickly to answer, "Good Morning Sister Dominic", as the class stood . "Heads on the desk", the Principal of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic school demanded. Each fourth grader crossed their hands in prayer, as heads slowly descended on their wooden desks.
It was November 22, 1963, I was nine years old.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza.[1] Kennedy was riding with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally's wife Nellie when he was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was a former US Marine firing gunshots from a nearby building. Governor Connally was seriously wounded in the attack. The motorcade rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Kennedy was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after the shooting; Connally recovered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy
A sad day in America.
Sister Christine, who was hands down my best teacher ever, came back into the room with redden eyes and wet cheeks, and said "Children, I have some sad news, President Kennedy has been shot, we must pray for him. "Take out your Rosary Beads".
We knelt next to our desks, beads in hand, as we recited our prayers out loud .
The news spread across our nation. "President Kennedy was dead." Survived by his wife Jackie, his daughter Caroline and son John Jr.
All three network channels carried the story of America's lose of a great leader. We mourned as a nation.
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It was then that I found a connection with Jackie, she had such grace through great tragedy. She was elegant and eloquent, she had style with humility, always holding her head up high to show love and respect for the man she loved.
Jacqueline Kennedy, former First Lady of the President of the United States should have been allowed to live in peace to heal her wounds and to care for her children. That would not happen for Jackie, nope, the media's hounding would push her to the edge.
The tabloids and news media kept after her and her fragile family. There was no relief from the exposure she felt. I speak of this from memories I know to be true. After that dreadful day back in November of 1963, Jackie Kennedy became an obsession of mine, following stories of her life in magazines and newspapers. I felt her pain. Admired her strength.
"Exactly half a century ago Saturday, on Oct. 20, 1968, Jackie wed Aristotle Onassis, becoming “Jackie O” — and one of the richest and most glamorous women in the world — overnight."
Jackie O was always my hero. She dealt with heart break throughout her entire life. Yet she was poised and articulate. I could go on, but let's leave it at that.
She was beautiful and glamorous. Her style in fashion became world renowned. Just her big, bold sunglasses earned me my name.
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The year was 1985, it would mark our 10th wedding anniversary in August. My mom volunteered to watch our three sons for the weekend so we could celebrate.
A cabin on Saranac Lake in Upstate NY was where we would end up to pop the cork to toast our 10 years as a married couple.
We had gone to this beautiful lake the year before with our boys and vowed then to return, there was still so much to take in there. Just watching people jump into this crystal clear lake off a shear rock some 25 feet up was entertainment enough.
NOT so much FUN watching @thebigsweed jump off that same rock just the year before.😲😟
Here we are at Saranac Lake with our boys and some of our best friends.
The birth of Jackie o.
Remember I mentioned Jackie Kennedy was famous for her style and fashion sense? Well, as we drove into the small town that sat just a few miles away from where we had rented a cabin on Saranac , the sun was glaringly bright and I had left my shades at home. Time for a new pair. We slipped into a little variety shop and there they were, my JACKIE O SUNGLASSES. Perfect! Big and bold, dark glass and that almost round shape. Next to the sunglass rack were these big beautiful, floppy sunhats, I knew I had seen a picture or two of Jackie wearing sunhats on her husband's yacht.
The next morning dawned with a beautiful sunrise as we packed up our small fishing boat for a day on the lake. Our hope was to catch some fresh fish for dinner, then camp on one of the islands on the lake. We also packed the Champagne that we would pop later in the day, celebrating our special day.
After a few glasses of bubbly, Jackie O came to life. Donning her sunglasses and new hat, she climbed onto the front of the yacht that was powered by a 9 1/2 horse power engine, 😁 and struck a pose. Hubby cranked up the engine and off we went for a sunset cruise.
Jackie O has been around ever since.
Hello #silverbloggers, I hope you enjoyed the story of my new name, it's a handle that's been with me for years now, it's here to stay.
Best Wishes,
Jackie O'Silver