A teacher once told me she wouldn’t recognize my paper if it didn’t have a peace sign or two doodled in one of the corners. Of course war was all around us then. TV had three channels, war was on all of them ... at least at news time. Today is no different.

Having 500 channels and world-wide connection is a marvel of humanity, and it’s also a curse. One month, we’ll witness an earthquake in Afghanistan, where large buildings are turned to bricks. We’ll see humans pulling together, passionately digging through the rubble for any sign of salvageable life. We’ll witness a tornado in Oklahoma that literally shreds a town flat and feel for the villagers crying the next day as they look upon what’s left of their lives. We can visually experience a hurricane in New Orleans where an impromptu Navy of ‘rednecks and motorboats’ rescue the stranded down streets they used to drive on. When it is humans against nature, that’s what we do. That is easy.

Today we are visually pummeled by scenes of violence again, buildings turned to bricks. The wars and mass murderers have created a similar devastation that is age-old but human-wrought. The outcome will be no different. Humanity will still pull together to search the rubble and seek the living. But instead of thanking their God for what they find they will curse the responsible. Instead of pulling together, they will seek revenge. They will  perpetuate the age-old conflicts of ancient neighbors. That’s where it gets all messed up. If all we had to do was save ourselvess from natural disasters, our hands would be full with work but our hearts would be full of love.

My prayer is that each of you find a time this season for peace.  No matter how grey the day, to set aside the conflicts that you cannot  possibly solve, and focus on reasons to be thankful, and to share the honest love of friends and family.

Peace,

Don Kindred, Publisher