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Lunenburg Family helping to
build victims' garden Sentinel & Enterprise LUNENBURG- A dried-up stream bed- a permanent scar carved into the earth- will soon be transformed into a garden of Peace that will serve as a memorial to victims of homicide, and a Lunenburg family is involved in its creation. Raymond and Jane Maki have experienced the pain of a child's untimely death. Their son Christopher Lars Maki was murdered on Nov. 5, 1997, at the age of 30. An environmental chemist, Christopher was living and working in Charlotte, N.C. He died during a robbery. His attackers stabbed him 31 times, stole his credit cards and left him to die on the roadside. They were apprehended soon after the murder as they attempted to use his credit card to buy cigarettes they planned to re-sell to buy drugs. After Christopher's death his parents turned to support groups to help them cope with their loss. Their involvement with the Alpha Resource Center, a support group that helps people go on after losing a loved one in a homicide, led to their learning about the Garden of Peace Memorial organization. "This is the most emotionally devastating thing, to lose your child to a homicide," Jane Maki said. "This garden will help turn the event into something positive." Conceptual plans for the memorial garden are under way. It will be located in Boston, in a dried up streambed near the State House. Jane Maki said that plans call for river stones- all approximately the same size, to remind those who see them that death is the great equalizer- to be engraved with the names of murder victims and their dates of birth and death. The riverbed will be full of water, to signify its role as the giver of life. The stones bearing the victims' names and information will be set into dry ground nearby. A landscape designer, Catherine Medina, and sculptor Judy Kensley McKie, both members of the Parents of Murdered Children group, came up with the idea for the memorial garden. They envision it as reflecting the various stages of grief, healing and hope. Plans for the Garden of Peace also include a series of walkways, seats, and a bronze sculpture depicting three ibises rising skyward. The ibis is a heron like bird that symbolized resurrection to the ancient Egyptians. Construction is expected to be done by spring 2003. "This garden is so important to people who have undergone this type of loss. It will be a peaceful place to remember those who have had a violent ending," Jane Maki said. "Unfortunately, when you experience this, it is no a vision that you do not lose. We do know that Chris put up a heck of a fight right till the end." Raymond Maki finds it inconceivable that someone would end his son's life in such a violent manner. "There are so many innocent victims- people that were senselessly taken away," he said. "Chris was walking home form a restaurant. He was only 300 yards form his home." His wife said, "You spend so much time thinking how you will survive this, having to wake up every morning and reprocess the fact that your child is dead. The first few months that is all you do. You hope that it is only a bad dream, then you realize that this is forever." "It is something you would never wish on your worst enemy." "Our other two children are coping in their own ways," their mother said. "Twins Amy and Andrew, less than two years younger than Chris, feel his presence with them. Amy is working very hard on the garden project, making it a reality." The Makis want to keep Christopher's memory alive. Jane Maki visits the Lunenburg schools, speaking to children about violence and bullying. "The children write an essay on violence, and the best one receives a savings bond," she said. A major fund raising campaign is in progress to ensure that the Garden of Peace is completed and maintained; names of major donors will be permanently inscribed on a granite wall in the garden. For information on dedicating a river stone, contact the Garden of Peace at P.O. Box 8382, Boston, MA 02114, or e-mail gardenofpeace@earthlink.net.
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