Message in a Bottle: Wall of Light

There is a wonderful art installation being planned in downtown Jacksonville, Florida. It will honor all our military personnel currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the world. I urge all area residents to participate.

The artists will construct a "wall of light" in a downtown park using plastic water bottles. Each bottle will contain a 5-word message of appreciation and hope to our deployed servicemen and women. Their design is for "an illuminated, translucent wall, 6 feet high and 200 feet long. They estimate it will take 34,000 bottles to build this wall.

That's a lot of bottles, and this is where every Jacksonville area citizen's involvement is needed. The artists need you to furnish the bottles. It couldn't be easier. Write a message of only 5 words to the troops in ballpoint or waterproof ink on a piece of paper and insert it into the bottle. Put the cap on and remove the label. Drop it off at one of the collection points around the city. Go to http://www.messageinabottlejax.com/ for the convenient locations.

This is a great family, church, club or neighborhood project. Each bottle is an individual act of gratitude. Stacked together, all the bottles are a community message from the entire city of love, remembrance and appreciation to our troops.