Candlestick Lane a tribute,

Drive down any street during the weeks before Christmas, and you'll see houses adorned with red, green and white lights announcing that it is Christmastime. Forty residents on Fairlane Drive in Cape Girardeau have gotten into the spirit by adding 3-foot, red-and-white plastic electric candles. No, the once-highly popular candles have not made a universal comeback, but in honor of David Wilson's father, Jerry, they have become a part of the neighborhood this year.

All it took for people to get on board was for David to go door to door and tell his father's story.

"My dad was a huge Christmas fan," David Wilson said. Jerry Wilson passed away in June, and his son knew that an appropriate tribute to him would be to create Candlestick Lane.

What's so moving about this is the fact that these neighbors had never met his father, but that did not stop them from supporting this tribute. They have joined David Wilson's family in their effort to light a candle for his father. What a great way to honor a man while celebrating the most joyous of holidays.

It was not easy to acquire the candlesticks, but these neighbors were determined. In fact, some traveled as far away as Marion, Illinois, and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to purchase them.

What's even more inspiring is that it has brought together a diverse neighborhood: David Wilson's sons inquire about the progress of the effort every day, and Muslim neighbors who do not celebrate Christmas themselves are participating nonetheless. Said David Wilson, "It was amazing how many people were excited about it," adding, "I let everybody know it was about my dad. Everybody has rallied around it now."

Who would have thought something as simple as a candlestick could bring so many people together? With so much division in the world, these examples of unity touch our hearts and give us hope.