Merry Christmas to you

by Frank Stork

As we enter this holiday season, we eagerly make plans to be with members of our family. Our long-held traditions make this a time when we want to be with those we hold most dearly.

Our desire to be with family peaks during Christmas time.

We, as individuals, change with each passing year. Yet, the Christmas we came to know as youngsters stays the same in many ways.

Our elders share family traditions handed down to them. New family members add to the joy of the season. We plan Christmas around our children and grandchildren and warmly embrace their expressions of happiness and joy. In many ways, we enjoy our Christmas through them.

Communications between family and friends are at a peak now. Mailboxes are filled with greeting cards. Telephones and doorbells ring often. The icon indicating that we "have mail" on our personal computers flashes often.

This year our Christmas is changed because our peace has been shattered through indiscriminate acts of terrorism. During this Christmas season, we will think more keenly about those in public service and those in military service who secure our peace. We can more clearly see now that our nation's heroes are those who put their own life at risk to ensure peace for our families.

As we bring this eventful year to a close, we thank all of our readers for keeping in touch with us. It's good to know what you think about the topics we report on. By sharing your views, you help us do our jobs better.

We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to call, write or e-mail us throughout the year.

We are thankful for the many good things we have accomplished by working together and we make a solemn resolution to work with you throughout the coming year for the benefit of all we serve.

On behalf of your Rural Missouri staff and all of us who work in rural electrification, we wish you and your family a merry Christmas and a blessed and peaceful New Year. And to those who each day put their lives on the line to secure our peace, we also express our deep and lasting gratitude.

Stork was executive vice president of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives and a member of Three Rivers Electric Co-op.