Connected to the world

I got an email from one of my daughters. She heard from our friends in Berlin Germany. They were not victims of the Christmas Market terror attack. While it is a place they often go, they happened not be there that day.

My High School buddy joined the army and married a German girl. My family ended up spending a lot of time with her family. She has some cousins about the same age as my kids. They'd come to the US for the summer, so they became friends. My daughter and her husband went over to Germany a couple years ago to visit.

Then there's the situation in Turkey. Since my son-in-law comes from there, we tend to follow what's going on. Things are not looking good, and that was before they started shooting Russian diplomats.

I grew up in a little isolated rural area in northern New Hampshire, yet my family has connections all over the world. Some of that is from people like my friend who married citizens of other countries. For example, I've connections with Korea through my uncle's family.

My extended family and friend group looks like the United Nations. We have connections all over the world. International issues are not some abstract issue “over there.” They affect people I know and love.

Trouble in Haiti, violence in Mexico, crime in Africa -all the trouble spots impact people I know. Heck, I even know people who work in Antarctica, so every continent is represented. I thought they were fine, until I discovered they went to New Zealand for a break and had a near miss with an earthquake. We heard nothing from them for days because they were on a wilderness hike at the time.

Things like earthquakes and natural disasters will happen. Some areas are prone to them and that's that. Outside of taking basic precautions there's not much you can do about them. However, there's a lot that can be done to improve the way the people in the world get along.

This Christmas season I'd like a little more peace, harmony and good will toward men. For me, it's personal.

-Sixbears