I Cried

Diana Spencer, July 1, 1961 - August 31, 1997

As soon as I heard of Princess Diana's death, the chorus of an old song
began running through my mind. I think it is apropos to the
moment.

Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free:
They would not listen they did not know how --
Perhaps they'll listen now.
(Don McLean's "Vincent")
Diana was a lady in the truest sense of the word, and the world has
lost a bright star today.

For me, Diana was a symbol of magic and wonderment. I am grieved and
heartsore at her tragic and senseless death. I feel for her children,
for her family, for her friends, but I have to admit that most of all
right now I am grieving for the loss of a lady who made me feel that
the days of Princesses in bowers and Knights on steeds were not truly
gone.

I've never been a big "Royals Watcher", but Diana was more than a
member of the Royal family. She was an icon for most of the women of my
generation, she was imagination and romance. She was, to put it simply,
a living fairy tale.

My generation was the last generation to believe that one day we would
grow up and marry Prince Charming. By the time we were adults, that
fantasy world had gone away, not just for us, but for all women. We
grew more practical and more realistic, and we saw the fairy tale realm
for what it was - a dream. And we taught our own daughters and younger
sisters that. Diana was the last Cinderella, the final Snow White, the
end of Sleeping Beauty, and she belonged to all of us because of
it.

When she died, I was devastated. The only other time that I can
remember having felt this type of loss was when I found out that there
was no Santa Claus.

I have never purchased a tabloid, never opened one. All that I needed
do was glance at the covers to know that they were garbage. But I share
the guilt for her death with every other person who was fascinated with
her.

My parents had JFK, Dr. King, Janis, Jimi, and RFK. My sister had John
Lennon. The 20-something crowd had Kurt Cobain.

When I was a kid, I heard many a conversation between adults that began
with the question, "What were you doing when you heard Jack Kennedy was
dead?" Ten or twenty years from now, my daughter will ask me, "What did
you do when you heard that Princess Diana was dead?"

I will reply: "I cried."

And that will say it all, won't it?

Jenn Thomas-Orr
August 31, 1997