Kennedy's funeral was 41 years ago. I will NEVER get the sound of the drumbeat and the horses' hooves out of my head. Reagan's procession was a tribute to a life well lived; Kennedy's to a life cut short. The shock and grief then was overwhelming--a totally different feel to the procession.
I was thinking today as I was watching Pres. Reagan's procession, thoughts similar to yours.
I was a senior in HS for JFK's procession and, like you, the drumbeats still echo in my mind; especially if I see a clip from the Kennedy procession.
But this one, at least for me, is a little different. Though it is sad that someone as great as Pres. Reagan has passed, he shed a life that was well-lived -- although the last 10 years must have been extremely trying for Nancy.
I won't forget watching this procession, hearing the drumbeats, the music; but it already is quite a different experience from the one I remember in November 1963.
{Sorry to butt into your conversation, but I was having similar thoughts all day, and you just struck a chord.}