first word
by Julie Savage Parker

December is not a month we enter or leave lightly. It is the best of times (for some), and the worst of times (for others). It is the darkest moment of the year, and yet it is for many (of more than one faith) a season of light. It is the end of one year, and the beginning of another. It is a time we tend to move deeply inward, and a time we come together with others, likely more often, from further distance, and with more hoopla than any other time of year. And there are parties: parties with co-workers, cherished organizations, family, friends. In the darkest time of the year, we come together to celebrate each other.

It is a time when we shift our focus from our own lives to our community, as we look around and wonder who's cold? Who has enough to eat? Who has toys under a Christmas tree? Who has family with whom to celebrate the holidays?

And of course 'tis the season of giving—and receiving. For this issue we have the sometimes intertwined themes of community, and the blessings of giving and receiving. Some pieces you'll read, like the story of Toy Whitley, encompass both.

We wish you many blessings in this month of dark and light. May you give with a full heart of yourself, and may you be open to receive as fully as you give. May love come out of its dark hiding places, and may old wounds be healed.