A book came out this week that presents a remarkable window into a nation's relationship with the first family, "Letters to Jackie." In the wake of the 1963 assassination of President John Kennedy, a million and a half Americans wrote his young widow. Historian Ellen Fitzpatrick picked 250 letters that captured the outpouring. Producer Natalie Edsell found four who wrote nearly 50 years ago.
Dear Mrs. Kennedy, I know that you hate the whole state of Texas. I do, too. I wish I lived in Washington, D.C., where maybe I could maybe see you standing on your porch. They say I look like you, too, although I am a blond and wear glasses. I love you more than anyone, and I have an urge all the time to go to Washington to maybe see you.
I started writing Mrs. Kennedy that week, and I wrote her once a week for six months.
Dear Mrs. Kennedy, as I sat watching the TV set this afternoon, I decided to write to you and to extend my sincere sorrow and that of my fellow eighth graders at St. Claire School, California. I firmly believe that your husband is sitting up in heaven right next to Lincoln.
It was two days afterwards. I think I said to my mother, do you think I could write a letter? Do you think that would -- would it get to Mrs. Kennedy if I wrote a letter? And she said, well, try.
Dear Jackie, since I can't say hello to you in person as I'd like to do, I sent this special card to say I'm thinking of you anyway. I know you will never be in need of a friend, but if you ever want a new one to talk to, I'm a very good listener.
It was just the compassion that you felt. And not pity, it was a love of friendship.
You know the admiration and respect, the devotion I had for your husband. Now you should know that in addition to all the sympathy in the world, this universal admiration and respect is yours.
One of the special things that John Kennedy did was launch the Peace Corps. And Jacqueline Kennedy was always a champion, interested in meeting the volunteers.
It has really allowed me an opportunity to reflect on sort of a continuous thread in my life of being -- of working in the context with people that are suffering. That is what my life's work has become.
I mailed it and it made me feel a little bit better. And then weeks later, maybe months later, I got a response from the White House. A little white card, piped in black, and a very simple line from Mrs. Kennedy. And that was a treasure.
It was a great surprise to be -- to have my letter there out of -- when there were so many that could have been chosen.
I think that conceivably that letter is one of the reasons that decades later when I ran and won election to the Senate of the United States, she campaigned hard for me. I feel privileged to be in this book of marvelous letters, from the first digging into those letters, which I'm going to take home tonight and see if I can read without tears.
看到过很多肯尼迪夫人的照片，尤其是身为白宫女主人期间的照片，几乎每一张都是光彩照人、气质非凡，优雅的气质尽显一个大国领袖夫人的风采。肯尼迪夫人喜欢法国的美食和服饰，所以她当时的服装几乎都是法式的。她的发型总是整齐服帖，一丝不乱。她几乎就是完美的象征。这也是为什么这张照片会让我印象如此深刻，照片上的杰奎琳穿着简朴休闲，手中拿着墨镜，姿态轻松而矫健，她的脸上带着淡淡的微笑，就像街上的任何一个路人一样穿行而过。而她的头发，恰恰就是这张照片的灵魂所在。不同于当年第一夫人时的整齐服帖，照片中杰奎琳的头发逆风飘散，凌乱的发丝几乎遮住了半边面孔，跳跃着在风中舞动，和她的姿态是如此地和谐。如果说作为美国第一夫人的她是"云上的杰奎琳"，那么卸去第一夫人光环后的她就是"风中的杰奎琳"，云上的杰奎琳是端着的，是被捧着的，而风中的杰奎琳则是洒脱的，是无拘无束的。那经历了丧子、丧夫、改嫁、再丧夫、遗产争夺、回归记者本行种种波折的女子，早已不需要被端着捧着，早已不是那个需要在镜头前摆着姿势让人赞叹的夫人。就像这飘舞的发丝一样，真实，真实的杰奎琳，逆风飞扬的杰奎琳，还有再大的风浪可以阻止她前行的步伐吗。谁又能说回归平凡的杰奎琳不如肯尼迪夫人的风采超群呢？---小编
生词汇总：
window: a way of seeing and learning about something 了解信息的渠道；窗口
in the wake of: coming after or following somebody/something 随...之后而来；跟随在...后
outpouring: a strong and sudden expression of feeling （感情的）迸发，倾泻
Peace Corps: 由美国肯尼迪总统发起的和平部队,将受过训练的志愿人士送到发展中国家提供技术服务
thread: an idea or a feature that is part of something greater; an idea that connects the different parts of something 线索；脉络；思绪；思路；贯穿的主线
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