... do you see what I see?".

There was some discussion about what life was about and when they talked to the mighty king, his desire was for peace, said the carol.

Young people, and others, hold up their index and middle fingers in the shape of a "V", saying that they desire peace.

In the early days of World War II, in 1939 and, after the fall of France in 1940, Churchill, England's Prime Minister, used that symbol to lift the spirits of the people, saying that "V" was for "Victory!"!

There's only one letter different, the final one in the identical sequence, between "Peace" and "Peach".

You can hold up your hand with fingers outstretched, gacing upward, until the cows come home, but no one has ever seen a "peach" appear, as if by magic, out of thin air, materializing right there in one's hand. Unless one happens to be standing under a Niagara/Georgia peach tree, that is.

Peaches are produced by a certain kind of tree, using resources of nutrients and water gathered by roots, then carried by a trunk, then by branches and processed with air and sunlight by leaves, as the only way to produce a peach.

Peace doesn't appear out of thin air, or by snapping one's fingers, or holding them up in the shape of a "V" either. Peace is costly.

Unless one has roots of justice, a trunk of compassion, branches of cooperation and leaves of kindness ...

... peace just isn't going to happen.

The Bible doesn't say, "Blessed are the peace-lovers ..." ... or hopers-for ... or seekers. It's "Blessed are the peaceMAKERS".

And building peace is not an easy task ... and it isn't done overnight.

But it makes a great vision to which one can attach one's life, and in the making of which one can invest it.

And encourage others to see and follow that vision, one by one, till we add up to millions.

Co-operating with other like-minded and -spirited people to build our best vision and expend our best efforts to construct the type of world in which peace can grow.

ole joyfuelled

P.S. Memo to all religious people (especially preachers?) ...

... when you claim to speak for God ...

... be mightily careful what you say!

(And how come we get 14,000 messages from them, quite a few of them dissimilar?)

o j