1962

I recently read the blog of a colleague of mine (excellent blog. check it out: http://jajsamos.wordpress.com/) and was impressed by his up-front and continuous devotion to his wife. I, too, love my spouse. It is such a gift, to be able to live with someone you are still crazy about, after literally decades of sharing living space. But I have not been nearly as diligent as Dr. Amos in expressing those feelings. Shame on me.

Today marks the 50th anniversary of my husband's life on earth. He was born at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. There was rioting on University of Mississippi campus following African American student James Meredith's attempt to enroll, which ended with federal troops and U.S. marshals taking control. That same year Gregory Peck won Best Actor for his role in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', so we were starting to take the issue of racism into the popular media. There have been changes since then, but not as dramatic as one might hope. We were deeply embroiled in the Cold War. America is good at boots on the ground war, but we were less adept at secret wars that involved spies, indirect threats, and games of chicken. In the end, we out-spent them--game, set, match--it was a great strategy, and if you ignore the debt issue, it was spectacularly successful. Kennedy was president, and we got embroiled in that whole Cuban Missile Crisis fiasco that made it so impossible for us to go see a bona fide Communist country operating in the modern world. Technology's star was rising. John Glenn circled the earth. The photocopier was increasingly in use. The music that was on the rise then was the music we still listen to--the Beatles and Bob Dylan. It was a time of great change, and it hasn't stopped. So thank you, 1962, for delivering this man into the world. I won't forget it.