In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is a line that sets the context for what follows. The line reads, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But when we ask, what’s in a date, the situation grows more complex. Certain dates are uniquely life-changing. There are significant dates that have meaning to individuals for a variety of reasons. Some dates stand out in one’s memory because of their historical significance. The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 propelled the United States into WW II and was proclaimed by President Roosevelt as a “date which will live in infamy”. November 22, 1963, was the day that President Kennedy was assassinated and led to the end of Camelot and a youthful vibrancy of leadership at the federal level. The assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy following his victory in the California democratic presidential primary on June 6, 1968, came just a few short months after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968. The year of 1968 was a year fraught with historical significance and most of what took place was traumatic for the entire county. In addition to the death of these two prominent men there was the acceleration of the war in Vietnam, specifically the Tet Offensive on January 31, 1968. The riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 28, 1968 were a culmination of frustration on the part of young people questioning the role of the United States in Vietnam. Each of these events painted a picture of discontent that raged through the country and each had dramatic historical influence.
The astronauts landing on the moon on July 20, 1969, made us all just a little bit smaller in comparison to this unbelievable event. The bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, was one of the most egregious acts perpetrated on American soil, yet it paled in comparison to what happened on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center buildings were attacked, leading to the death of thousands. More recently, the massacre at the concert in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, was coupled with the slaughter of the innocent at the high school in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. Certainly, there have been other events that could be added to those noted above and what has been included is an attempt to emphasize the importance of dates as a source of reference.
In addition to the representative historical dates, there are certainly dates that have a very personal meaning. The date of a wedding and subsequent anniversaries, the dates that children were born, the dates of graduation from high school and college, children getting married and having their children, and the death of those who are an integral part of one’s life. April 29th is a date that will forever be etched in the memory of my wife and me. It was on this date back in 1969 that our oldest daughter died from the effects of leukemia. She would have been six on June 26th of that year. Anyone who has experienced the death of one of their children belongs to a very special group, the only ones who can truly understand what this means. You play out in your mind over and over what might have been What might she have chosen as a life direction, might she get married and have her own family, might she have been able to live a normal life after all of the chemicals that had been put into her small body--these are just some of the “mights” for which there are no answers.
Indeed, there have been a myriad of parents who have lost children, and the dates of their loss rest in their memories in perpetuity. Forgetting, for most, is not in the equation. My wife and I are grateful for the memories that we have of our daughter, and we are so thankful for the other two daughters who have made us so very proud. Some may read this and question why I wrote this. I did not do it to resurrect pity but rather to share some emotions that are aroused by a date, April 29th.