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December 21, 2007

Merry Christmas

Dear readers: I'm stepping away from the computer for a few days. However, I stumbled upon this thoughtful piece of reading recently in the archives of The Orlando Sentinel. Yes, I worked there many years ago, but I didn't write this. Because it ran on the editorial page almost 15 years ago, it was unsigned so I'm not sure who wrote it. But the author doesn't matter. The message does. I trust you will gain as much inspiration from it as I did.


Peace begins within.

That message is particularly poignant this time of year.

In this season of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men, individuals have
within themselves the power to cultivate peace. Perhaps the most important
lesson given to us by a carpenter's son from Nazareth is that the power to
spread peace is not the sole domain of heads of state who can so easily wield a
major influence, for good or ill, over daily international affairs.


Everyday people - a teacher, a coach, a homemaker, a member of the clergy, a
shopkeeper - might not have the direct ability to solve great world crises.


Through patience, tolerance and understanding, however, they do have the power
to end conflicts in their families, in their neighborhoods and in their
workplaces.

Indeed, peace and goodwill are gifts that people can extend to each other
daily. The ability to do a good deed exists in everyone - by speaking an
encouraging word to a troubled child, running an errand for an elderly person,
or giving a fellow motorist a break in traffic.

The choice to exercise that ability, though, remains with the individual.

Peace and goodwill are the remnants of that first Christmas in Bethlehem. The
message that came forth from there was that much of the anger in the world could
be dispelled by following His example.

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Talkers

  • Ladies, relax!...it's (I'm) not that serious - Women take breast-feeding seriously. So seriously they failed to see I was poking fun at myself, not breast-feeding, in the introduction of my column.
  • Legitimate request? Or is she milking it? - When it comes to breast-feeding, I'm in league with a quiet sect of men -- and women: It grosses me out. Not the idea of mothers bonding with their babies and providing them nutrition and other natural goodies for healthy, growing bodies. But the act of them doing so, anywhere in my visual range.

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Shanna Flowers

In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com

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