‘Peace on Earth, goodwill to all people’

To the Editor:

The last 10 to 15 days we have heard these words -- Christmas greeting cards, decorated houses or buildings, even from the media. Why couldn’t we hear them all through 2022? This needs to start in D.C. and go out and back -- out to other nations -- back to the states, cities, counties and each and every house/home.

But reading or hearing Longfellow back in 1863, “there is no peace on earth ...” His poem has seven verses but look closely at verse six. In fact, why not go on Google and get the whole story! Briefly, his oldest son Charles enlisted in Lincoln’s Union Army without his approval. He then was seriously wounded and it took six months for a partial recovery.

Peace is the key word. But peace has some prerequisites: God of peace; the Bible is a book of peace; Christ is the prince of peace; the church is a place where we should see/experience peace and more. Nations seeking peace instead of war; then the family home being a station where we learn young how to live with/in peace.

If you are still reading ... “there is no peace ...” Our Congress has an approval rate less than 19 percent. Coming down from D.C., how many states have peace? How many cities have peace? Then be truthful, truth is needed for peace, how many families really have peace, even now amidst all the gift wrapping?

I am an old man, but in visiting folks in their 90s, we believe peace is possible but younger generations must step in beside us.

Loren J. Hetrick

Greencastle