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Editorial - December 2003 |
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Focus on family |
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Published December 24, 2003 |
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As usual a multitude of distractions can change the focus of this Christmas season when we should be counting our blessings as we gather with our families. We hope everyone will stay focused on that home-with-the-family theme, because that’s what makes Christmas memorable. It’s hard to stay focused on the home place with the barrage of images coming out of the media. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those men and women in the military who are serving in dangerous outposts during a time we talk so much about “peace on earth.” Among those in harm’s way are members of a Lincolnton-based National Guard unit. It’s hard to ignore the images from Iraq, but why dwell on Osama bin Laden’s latest broadcast tape or watch more disgusting pictures of Saddam’s mouth exam? Just hope and pray that the casualty list from Iraq gets shorter and shorter. Federal officials have raised the national threat alert status to code orange, an effort that seems designed to put us on alert for any terror you care to imagine. Here in Lincolnton we don’t anticipate the Citizens Center to become a target of a terrorist attack, so we probably won’t lose much sleep. And why not forget about the Michael Jackson saga for the next few days. He doesn’t seem worried. He threw a big party last weekend. We know there will be traveling, partying and shopping. That’s part of the holiday fun, and it’s especially fun if we do it with our families. As much as we would like to encourage the Christian origins of this holiday, we know many Americans do not identify with church celebrations that are prevalent here in Lincolnton and in many other Southern communities. According to research, only one in every nine Americans belong to an organized religion. But here in Lincoln County can we focus on our own neighborhoods and institutions and feel some comfort and security in a world that’s gone a little hay-wire. Most importantly, we can focus on our family, that all-important mainstay that makes us feel part of something much larger.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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