It’s about love, hope, and peace

What do we wish for? Gadgets? More clothes? Toys?

From the conclusion of  a novel I highly recommend, The Stone Carver, by Canadian Jane Urquhart:

“And so the impossible happens as a result of whims that turn into obsessions. A priest is struck by the light in an unexpected valley, a king requires rainbow machines, on the one hand, and a belief in the magic of distant landscapes, on the other. A Canadian man dreams the stone that will be assembled and carved to expiate the sorrow of one country on the soil of another. The men in the counting houses of government rage against the expense, preferring to hoard their coins for the machinery of war. And still the beautiful stone walls rise in barely accessible, elevated places. Heartbreaking operas are written and performed in various private and public rooms. Mass is celebrated. And the windows and statues and towers are maintained longer than you might think, in the face of autumn’s bitter winds and winter’s frantic storms. If you stand in certain parts of the valley you can see them shine. A clear flash of silver or alabaster in daytime, lit by a rich inner fire, or reflected moonlight at night, they disperse light and strength and consolation long after the noise of the battle has ended, and all of the warriors have gone home.”

Peace, joy, love.