World Events

Earlier this week, I was talking to a friend about the Royal Wedding.  She remembers watching Princess Diana's wedding.  Her daughter was late for preschool on Friday as she was watching Princess Kate getting married.  To be completely honest, I didn't watch it or really even follow it.  I love a good fairy tale, but it just isn't my cup of tea.  I don't think I watched Princess Diana's wedding either.  I have no memory of it at all.  I was just shy of 3 years old at the time.

As I was just going to bed, the news that Osama Bin Laden was killed by US troops hit.  I was up, and glued to the TV.  I thought of waking Pyrope to watch with me.  If he was a year or two older I would have.  But his is not quite old enough.

My mind snapped back to the Invasion of Grenada.  I was in 2nd grade.  I remember my dad waking me up early that morning, and watching TV with him.  I vaguely remember the discussions of the ramifications of the invasion.  I remember sensing what an event like this means but at the same time realizing I was not fully understanding what I was watching.  I remember watching Reagan making a speech.  I thought how funny it was that I remember the Grenada invasion, but not Princess Diana's wedding.  I thought to myself, maybe it was because I was too young.  But as I continue to watch the coverage, my mind slipped to other 'National Moments'.  Challenger exploding, a few months after the Grenada invasion.  That I was interested in, and I have very very clear memories of.  I understood what happened.  More so than many adults.  My mind slipped to my first memory of a 'National Event'.  Reagan's assassination attempt.  I was in Florida.  At a parade.  A parade where some float was throwing out bead necklaces.  I remember the necklaces.  I remember the sudden change in mood of the crowd.  Of abruptly leaving and going back to the house of the friends we were visiting.  I remember everyone except for me raptly watching the TV, and a vague wonder of what was happening and what all of this meant and what the big deal was.  Doing the math, I realized I was younger at that point than I was for Diana's wedding.

So after I watched Obama's speech and several commentators saying the same thing.  I made a decision.  In the morning, I will wake up my boys early.  Not a whole lot earlier than they normally wake up, but wake them up and eat breakfast in front of the TV with them, watching the coverage.  I don't know if either or both of them will remember the moment.  But I, following my parents path, will try to pass on such memories.  A sense of what is important for our collective memory. 

My friend's daughter will look back and remember Princess Kate's wedding.  It is my hope, that if anything, my boys will look back and remember learning of Bin Laden's death.  As a nation, we have paid a very high dear price.