“Imagine all the people living life in peace”
“You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one”

In Memory of John Lennon 12.8.80

Imagine that it has been 43 years since the World lost John Lennon!

It was like when John Kennedy was killed , or 9/11 – we all remember exactly what we were doing when we first heard the news. Shock, disbelief, grief with so many questions. 

Today, December 8th, marks the 43th Anniversary of that tragic evening when John Lennon, returning from a late night of recording, was gunned down in front of his home, The Dakota, with his bloodied glasses and a copy of his just released album Double Fantasy, which he had just signed for “a fan”, laying next to him. How ironic that all he ever wanted was Peace, as he sang

“Give Peace a Chance”; or “Imagine” asking us to “Imagine there’s no heaven, no hell below us, above us only sky, Imagine all the people living for today…” – it was all he ever asked for, only to be destroyed against all that he was asking us to believe in.

Ironically, after a few years of semi-retirement, John decided it was time to return to his iconic music. I remember when I first heard his Album “Double Fantasy” which featured the song “Starting Over Again”! which was released once month before he was shot, my thought he has not lost his true imaginative feelings of how the World should be, and how we need to “start over”, living our own lives.

I took an excerpt of this song, with John’s desire to “spread his wings”.

“It’s time to spread our wings and fly
Don’t let another day go by, my love
It’ll be just like starting over”

Finally, ready to “start over again”, John Lennon was killed on Dec 8, 1980 in front of the Dakota in Manhattan.

I remember the next morning taking my daughter (who just turned 1) and headed to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, only to be met with thousands of other distraught fans not knowing what to do next!

The beautiful moment, shown at the beginning of this article, was designed in Central Park in memory of John Lennon. It is named after the Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever”.

**I highly recommend anyone who is a true John Lennon fan, read Philip Norman’s book, “John Lennon, The Life” – you will learn the truth behind the man we all looked to for a peaceful world.

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