Imagine all the people...

"... living life in peace..." - John Lennon, Imagine

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not the world's biggest Beatles fan. I'm not even close. But I do have several Beatles songs that I absolutely adore, and I understand (especially after my trip to Liverpool, England) the incredible impact that John, Paul, George and Ringo had (and continue to have) on music.

I also respect them immensely as they were also HUGE Buddy Holly fans and recorded many of Holly's songs during their career.

But the reason for this post is not to wax poetic about the Beatles. The reason for this post is to honor the memory of one of it's members.

25 years ago today, December 8, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York apartment. The voice of a generation was silenced forever. But even though John is gone, his memory and music continue to inspire and move people everyday. Even the young, upstart musicians of today show reverence for a man that lived a complete lifetime before they were even born.

Mark David Chapman, the man who robbed the world of one of it's brightest stars, is up for parole next year. Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, is continuing to fight to convince the powers that be that Chapman should die in prison. Well Yoko, if he does manage to get out, I doubt he'll get far. There are too many people in the world that would love to see Chapman disposed of... But whether he lives or dies, we still have John Lennon's music and memory.

Do yourself a favor and crank up your favorite Beatles memory and sing along. You'll feel better for it and I bet it would make John smile.

Maybe this year we'll be able to sing "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" and it will be true... one never knows...