November 22

As almost anyone from my generation and older knows, today is the day JFK was killed in 1963. If you don't know who JFK is, stop reading, as I won't take the time to explain that. I was only 4 years old, and was sitting in front of the TV having lunch when the news came. My brother, who was in high school, was sent home, as they closed the schools. Imagine that. I am now reading the latest Stephen King novel about a guy who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination. I'm only about a third through the book, so I don't know if he was successful. Anyway, it occurred to me that JFK was about 46 when he died, the same age as my best friend when he died. It wasn't an assassin's bullet that killed Gene though. He just didn't take care of himself and his heart gave out. If given the chance, I'd go back in time and try to prevent that. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him. I'd go back in time, way before he died in January of 2006, and tell him to take care of himself, that if he went away a lot of people would miss him. I can't say that I ever missed JFK; he is just a historical figure to me, a President that was martyred by a killer. Gene wasn't a President, or martyred. He just lived an all too short ordinary life. He died suddenly and left a big hole in my life, and in many others too. I miss my best friend.