Imagine

When I was 10 years old I woke up on a December morning with my radio waking me up. The song Starting Over had just finished playing. Shortly thereafter, the radio announcer had reported that the night before John Lennon had been shot in front of his home by a deranged fan. The name John Lennon had no meaning for me but upon hearing that he was one of The Beatles, I knew the impact of what that meant.

When I got to school that morning, a lot of my teachers were in tears. Looking back I guess it had to have been really hard for them. Especially since so many of them were old enough to have witnessed first hand the start of Beatlemania, the eventual break up of the Beatles and the countless and futile hopes that one day they would reunite. John Lennon being killed would eradicate their hopes of that ever happening. But Lennon being killed also meant a part of their youth was gone forever. That's always one of the hardest parts of growing up isn't it?

I've always been fascinated by how John Lennon, one of the most famous people across the universe was able to find some anonomity and peace in one of the most famous and tumultuos cities in the world. John Lennon and Yoko Ono came to live in NYC in 1971 at the height of the Vietnam War and the anti war movement. In New York, they found a stage in which they used their fame to promote peace within the world. But in New York they also found a place to be part of the fabric of this city and have peace and quiet for themselves. I can only imagine that this was something that Lennon welcomed after having been so famous and sought after for most of his adult life.

Today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. The tributes to his music and memory will be countless. Thousands of people are expected to gather today at Strawberry Fields in New York City's Central Park to reminisce, light candles and of course play his music. The lyrics to his song "Imagine" which promoted peace are still quite relevant 40 years later. But I also believe that Imagine could be interpreted as Imagine what musical contributions he could have made had he lived.

I hope that today we can take a moment and reflect on this great artist,his music and his message of peace, love and tolerance. Something that we desperately need today.

Peace,

Myrna