“Yeah we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.”
— John Lennon (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)
Forty years ago today, I remember walking into the co-op where I was living in college and seeing my friends sitting around the lounge lamenting the news. Some of them were crying. At first, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe. John Lennon had been shot four times, in the back, by a nobody that wanted to be a somebody. By a nobody who, earlier that day, had gotten Lennon’s autograph.
I’ve been thinking about that evening, and that event, all day, as I do every time I notice December 8 roll around. Forty years is a long time, but in some ways, it seems like yesterday. What a senseless tragedy. The years have not made it feel less so.
Although his untimely death made the world a lesser place, his life made it a far greater place.
Please, take a few minutes and enjoy one of my favorite Lennon songs. And, really listen to the words. It just may make you smile.
Shine on, John Lennon. Shine on.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons