Letters to the Editor - Let there be peace - Let there be peace

    I want to share a public thank-you to the homeowners on Victory Memorial Parkway for their holiday display of Let There Be Peace. I was living alone the first season it appeared on the front yards. Our country was torn with troops being deployed in great numbers to foreign lands in response to 9-11-01. Locally, the community was divided on who supported the troops more, citizens with yard signs that say support them or the citizens with signs that say bring them home now.

    After a summer of arguing, the lights of Let There Be Peace was a welcome sight in the season of darkness. It was simple, to the point; it gave no indication of any further opinion. That first season was one when I had the time and desire to get up early and run north on the parkway. It was very early and very dark and it was cool to run by the lights. My turn-around came near the flagpole - another Northside treasure that gives one a chance to reflect on all that is right or wrong. Running back gave me a second chance to look at the lights. Let There Be Peace - a great line to start the day with.

    But that was a few years ago. I now share my life with a very inquisitive three-year-old boy. Last winter he was giddy with excitement as he discovered the holiday lights on yards throughout the various driving trips on the parkway. Then his grandma grabbed his attention by showing him the Let There Be Peace display. I wasn’t sure if that would hold his interest against the characters of snowmen and reindeer, but it did. We spent time each night driving slowly by the letters so that he could take in each letter. He wanted me to say each letter and he would repeat it back. Nights later, he would tell me a few of the letters.                 

    This was such a favorite time of the day for both of us. He was learning letters, I was enjoying the darkest part of the year lit up if just for a brief time. It was a joy to see his wonder and confidence as he told me the letters. One night as we headed past North Memorial, he looked at the new signage the hospital added. The sign is large, red and white and reads vertically. He called out to me loudly, “It says let there be peace!” I looked at the large sign that reads “Emergency.” I caught myself before I could say no, and looked at him and agreed, “Yep, that says let there be peace.” It took a two-year-old to point that out to me.

    I look forward to these dark days having more lights shining on the yards. We will be back each night inspecting the letters and making notes as the now three-year-old continues to make his mark in my life. Thanks.

Jeannine McDonald