Vandals can't dampen true spirit of holiday

Frontiersman editorial board

For the past few years, Valley residents have been greeted by a sign that read, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" near the Kepler property. It had become something of a tradition for the family of David Kepler who passed away Dec. 18 -- and something of a tradition for the people who passed by the sign each day.

The sign was a proclamation of faith for Kepler, and also a statement about what he saw as the commercialization of a religious holiday … his favorite holiday. Kepler felt, as many of us do, that the point of the holiday is lost in a barrage of commercialism and materialism. A simple head count at the local retail stores on Christmas Eve compared to the number of people attending Christmas services or Midnight Mass will tell you that the holiday spirit is symbolized by a dollar sign rather than by a cross. Kepler's simple sign was a reminder that it doesn't have to be that way.

This year, because the Valley lost David Kepler on Dec. 18, there was a chance the sign wouldn't find its way to the roadside. His two sons, Chris and Mark, weren't about to let the family tradition slip, however. They assembled the sign and placed it by the roadside to honor the memory

of their father, and the keep his message visible.

The sign was standing and lighted on Christmas Eve, and David's wife, Lois, was proud of her sons.

When she awoke on Christmas morning, however, she noticed something was wrong. The sign was no longer lit, and closer inspection revealed that someone had destroyed it during the night.

Vandals, with nothing better to do on Christmas Eve, had gone to the trouble to tear down Kepler's sign. Lois was forgiving. "I know whoever did it probably didn't know Dave had just passed away, but it was still devastating for us," she said.

Perhaps the vandalism and Lois' response served to make David Kepler's message all the more relevant. The vandals, though they likely didn't know David had recently passed away, were still selfish and inconsiderate on Christmas Eve. Rather than make a statement of their own, they decided to destroy someone else's -- for unknown reasons.

On Christmas morning, Lois Kepler, though devastated by the act, was willing to give the vandals a break. She chose to believe that as wrong as the vandalism was, it wasn't intended to hurt her family.

Happy Birthday, Jesus.