Open your mind and your heart to be still.

In this time of international conflict and mistrust it is easy to despair.

At times we may even feel hopeless as we hear about wars and weapons.

 But there is hope! Change can grow from within each of us.

The world is like a tree -- if the tree is diseased and the leaves brown and brittle, the gardener does not treat the branches, but tends to the roots.

 Our world is made up of nations, in which there are states containing communities of neighborhoods where individual people live.

We are the roots of our world tree.

 As attitudes change; as we accept and love ourselves honestly and learn, in turn, to accept and love others regardless of our differences, slowly, the branches that extend from us and cover the world will grow strong.

The peace we can make within ourselves can be reflected everywhere.

Holidays are a wonderful and exciting time of year -- a time to enjoy snowflakes falling, company coming, and presents.

 Sometimes we find ourselves concentrating solely on the wrapped presents and forgetting about the presents of the heart.

 With God's help, we can begin to notice such things as the hug from a brother or sister, the laugh of a grandparent or the hand-drawn card given to us by a friend.

 All of these wonderful presents and more are ours for the taking; we need only to see beyond the wrapped packages.

 It is then we will fully experience the joys of the heart.

All of us have reasons to be grateful. Usually, the word implies we have received something.

We often think of gratitude as that warm feeling we get from someone else's generosity.

We are particularly grateful when we get unexpected gifts from those who owe us nothing.

Within a family, we expect such acts of love because we are close to one another.

But gratitude doesn't always come from being a receiver.

 Gratitude is warmest when it accompanies the joy of being able to give without expecting anything in return.

We find it isn't enough to feel grateful. We have to express our gratitude by showing kindness and service to everyone around us.

Gratitude is the greatest of all heart-openers.

When it enters the heart, love pours out.

For every kindness we receive, gratitude inspires a hundred acts of giving.