One of the characteristics of small local newspapers is their ability to give us the “good news” of our community. In our Millbrook Times, we learn about local fundraisers and church events. We read about children, teens, adults making positive contributions locally and in the wider world. We have an opportunity to express our views and our appreciation in the letters to the editor. When our steady diet of news is horror and violence, our local papers offer us “goodness”. They are a breath of fresh air.

A young friend of mine had her first art show. The night she opened the show, my house was full of company. Snow was falling. It would have been easy to stay home, but I wanted to support my friend and see her work. At age eighteen, she already has a track record of bringing goodness into this world. Her willingness to help others and her work with children in our church family has brought joy to so many. As I gazed at her paintings and sculptures, I was overcome by the goodness that confronted me – the joy of a mother with her baby, the beauty of the forest represented in black and white, a portrait of her dad, his eyes dancing with mischief and more. The sculpture of the earth, held by hands and slowly dripping away into a glass spoke to me of my role in the pollution in the world and challenged me to use my hands to make a difference.

We do feel battered with stories of murders, greed and war, most of which happen far away and outside our span of control, but we are not helpless. Regardless of our faith, or lack of it, we can overcome evil with good. Just as this newspaper and this young woman can bring light to the world, we too can speak and act in love. Each action, no matter how small, counts.

St. Paultells us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)