It was a defining moment. I was only in the third grade, but I remember exactly where my desk was in that classroom. I remember my teacher and I remember her crying. I remember walking home after school that day. I remember it all just like it was yesterday. And if you were alive on November 22, 1963 … I bet you remember everything too. I must admit, I hadn’t thought about it in a while. Not until I was in Dallas this past weekend for a client engagement. On the first night, I decided to take a stroll with no real plans of where to go. Just 10-minutes later I found myself standing just beneath the Texas School Book Depository. I was looking down Elm Street at the “grassy knoll” and two small X’s that mark the pavement on the exact spot where President Kennedy was first shot and then shot again. The only thing that is dramatic about this otherwise normal city street scene is the memories that are embedded in my soul and your soul … forever. As I stood on Elm Street, I was reminded of that fatal fall afternoon. With a late start, I went out to walk again on the second night … this time two blocks from Elm Street. The streets were nearly empty … and I must admit created a bit of an uneasy feeling. I found myself at the 
JFK Memorial. As I entered the open outdoor structure, I found myself all alone in the soft lighting of this strikingly simple design. All alone … except for a wounded bird who was sitting starring at the granite square in the middle. The square was simply marked with the name John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I would have had to be mentally numb not to be taken-back by the opportunity to stand alone in this most historic place. I was reminded of the impact of defining moments in our life … and the incredible missed opportunity when we just let them mentally fade away. Like that fall afternoon, these events can deeply wound us. As I turned to walk out of the tomb, my hope was that they also help us heal … stronger!
