A time to speak

T president was in Dallas that day, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the nation’s favorite son. Jackie sits beside him, squinting into the sun. She has on a pink coat, obviously wool, and a hat to match. The convertible top on the shiny blue Lincoln is down, and she brushes a strand of brown hair from her eyes. Both Kennedys are smiling and waving to the cheering crowd. It makes me want to cheer and wave right back. Change is the hallmark of the sixties for the nation—and for Celia and Jake as they face Libby’s turbulent teen years. According to Libby, Elvis is “cool,” her uncle Dave and his motorcycle are “hip,” and a disk jockey named Wolfman Jack is “boss.” Her parents, however, are clearly “squares” who don’t understand that all the other girls wear mascara and stay out till two o’clock in the morning. Other changes are happening in the family. Mary Margaret moves away, and Aunt Rose and Uncle Edward begin to show signs of aging. When Jake’s father dies, they realize his mother needs extra care. A Time to Speak chronicles the era when space was the final frontier and values were up for grabs. It’s about a teenager trying to find herself and parents trying to trust God through it all. LINDA SHANDS has been a freelance writer for over ten years. Her poetry and articles have been published in magazines like Adventure West and Living Streams. She writes a monthly humor column for a newspaper, The Good News, in her hometown of Cottage Grove, Oregon, and lives with her husband, Gene, and their twin golden retrievers.