I was in Seattle at a conference when I heard that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize.  I was thrilled for him and our country.  And then I began to hear a lot of grumbling from politicos on all sides.  I was struck, once again, by the lack of civility we covet.  Why would we not, why should we not, be happy for the honor offered to a man who is choosing to make a difference in how myriad cultures react to one another.

Whether one is democrat or republican, and there were naysayers from both parties, it’s time to lay aside our criticisms, I think, and seek, instead to cherish our common goals.  And assuredly, peace is one of our common goals.

I have said so often and in so many settings that even though we think we can’t cause great changes to occur in the world community, or maybe even in our family of origins; we can, and must, do our part to initiate small changes in the tiny, ordinary encounters we experience every day.

Peace any where begins with individual peaceful expressions every where. Every one can do this and thus share in the glad tidings of the Nobel Prize that Obama received.  Why not give it a try?