History...or His story!

It was remarkable to see the 'biographies' of The Reagan's and various world leaders condensed into a walking tour of history. I distinctly recall where I was and what I was doing on March 30th, 1981, when CBS news broke in with a special report indicating that President Reagan had been shot. I was one of three people in the high school library and the TV was on having been used previously in one of the classrooms. I sat studying when the special news report broke my concentration and hearing the news that Ronald Reagan had been shot, I felt my heart drop to my feet...thinking, "Oh no, not another JFK situation!!!"

Thankfully our country didn't have to endure another loss like that. Ronald Reagan was running for his second term in office when I was first eligible to vote. It was historic due to the fact that the Democratic candidate Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferarro as his running mate; the first time that the United States was faced with the question of gender as an additional consideration, in addition to, the candidates position on policies. Here we are 24 years later and if you watch the debates you can see this is still a question in the minds of many voters and media alike. As well as, race...it is fascinating to watch a 'progressive' nation preface many of it's questions and concerns based on race or gender. Good grief...UGH! I like the old line from "Dragnet: Just the facts ma'am." Just me on my soap box stating..."Whomever is the best qualified to provide leadership and cooperative foreign relations should be the candidate of choice."

I may not be a republican…but I like to think I can see the best in everyone.

Sorry, I digress...suffice it to say the humanity of The Reagan's after the Challenger incident, the bridge that was crossed with Mikhail Gorbachav with The Berlin Wall and the friendship that developed, not to mention on a personal level, the love and respect Ronald and Nancy had for one another...all of this was kaleidoscoped into one walking tour of the library. We were also able to walk aboard Airforce one, and we started our tour here where normally this is the end of the tour, and as a result we were the only ones on the plane, so it was as though we had a private tour and could mill about at our own pace. Also, I was enthralled with the gallery dedicated to the frocks of the First lady...seeing them up close after having seen them in photo's or television appearances it was delightful.

Lastly, reading the letter President Reagan wrote after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's to shine a light on the disease so others may benefit from the public acknowledgment of this heinous disease, I felt showed such dignity,grace, and honesty...reading the letter at the Reagan Library made me get all choked up. I had one of those moments where I realized that so many pivotal,historical things occurred during the inception of my adulthood and I reflected upon this with great fondness.