“I remember where I was,
Just exactly where I was,
In the yard out back—"
“I was getting me a shoeshine—"
“--Folding sheets—"
“--When I heard—"
“We were waiting for a carriage—"
“Suddenly there's shouting in the street—"
“I'll remember it forever—"
In the song, Something Just Broke from the musical Assassins, ordinary people describe getting the news that the president had been shot. They know where they were, what they were doing when they got the news and the world changed. “I’ll remember it forever” repeats like a haunting refrain as characters from all time periods and walks of life describe their common experience.
Many Americans felt that this week when they heard that the Key bridge in Baltimore had collapsed. We can think back to other moments of societal tragedy and where we were when we heard: 9/11, or for me growing up in Tulsa, the Oklahoma City bombing.
As a pastor, I am let into people’s lives at pivotal moments when they get sudden news. Sometimes they are happy moments. Often it’s when something just breaks – when they get the call, or something comes to a head that has been building for a while, or they learn the surgery wasn’t successful, or the cancer’s back, or someone they love has terrible news, or… or…
I got such a call today. As I write, I’m preparing to meet a spouse at the bedside of their dying loved one. We don’t know how long they have – it could be a while. Or these could be the last days.
On any given day, we go about our lives making plans and schedules for what is coming up. We can think we know what’s happening next and prepare our minds accordingly. We can dress for the weather.
And then we get the news. And we know exactly where we were when we heard for the first time.
This week in the Christian calendar, we commemorate Jesus’ arrest and execution. I imagine the people around him had their plans for how the Passover festival would go. They had done this before and had a basic idea of how things would go. They knew where they would be gathering, who would be there, and what food would be served.
Maybe they had an inkling ahead of time that something felt different this year. Maybe they felt the tension building and Jesus’ opponents getting louder. Maybe not.
Jesus’ 12 closest followers were there - right there - when he got arrested. Yet, by the time he dies the next day, many have scattered and only hear the news through the grapevine while in hiding. I bet they knew exactly where they were when they heard. How could the moment not be seared in their memories?
Thank you for reading Almost Named Grace with Frances Rosenau. This post is public so feel free to share it.
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~What I’m reading~
Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks
Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace by John Mark Comer
Yes, at work in LA in early 60s-Kennedy. Okc bombing teaching in tcc classroom and 9/11 on treadmill at St. John. Isn’t it amazing how we deposit important details in our memory bank. Time/place/people…. Thank you Francy. Recently discussing “thin places,” reading john o’donohue. Joan
As an older adult, I remember where I was when I heard President Kennedy was shot: the UC Berkeley Student Center.