Perhaps this will be the year when our world will begin to heal . . .

—from the frightful, life-taking spread of the coronavirus

—from the resulting isolation and disruption of daily life

—from political differences that divide us here in the U.S. and around the world

—from global issues threatening humanity and the avarice that lurks in the darkest part of the human heart

Perhaps this will be the year when love, grace, and justice emerge as the universal traits of humankind.

I grew up in the years just following World War II, hearing all the adults talking about what they had endured, and it reminds me of the unpredictability and seriousness of today. I experienced the common bond survivors from that horrific conflict shared . . . the sense of loss they could never reclaim. Many of those who survived that terrible, cataclysmic world event made promises to the almighty that if they were allowed to live, they would become builders of a better world to come.

You and I are a part of keeping those promises—and yet, we are still, at this moment, in the fields of our own battles and making promises of our own. In doing so, may we confirm our desire to be a part of what is right with the world!

With a knowledge of the past, and a commitment to our future,

Doug