Sometimes we hear something so often that its meaning loses some of its impact.

I have long believed that peace is a beautiful gift. When we give someone a wish for the gift of peace it’s a gift that’s as good as it gets.

In our church and many other denominations, we turn to those around us and tell them, “Peace be with you.” We used to shake hands but since COVID we just do a peace sign.

But it has become such a rote ritual that I find myself centered more on the people I’m greeting, not on the wish for peace.

Perhaps I do get a bit of a peaceful feeling when I see all the good people around me and when I know how many of them do so much for others.

When I was wrapping Christmas presents this year I thought if I could truly give someone the gift of peace it would be better than anything I wrapped.

I don’t know about you but I will admit I am finding it harder than ever to be filled with peace.

I am definitely what others call “an up person,” someone filled with the joy of everyday life. But I am finding I have to work hard at staying positive.

I definitely have had to change my daily routine.

After dinner my husband and I always settled down in front of the television to watch the daily news together.

But then I realized viewing “the news” leaves me upset and filled with anxiety.

When was the last time you could feel good when you watched the news?

All too many shows talk about the evils of the day. After their viewers are drowning in negativity, they are not revived by hearing any solution is at hand.

I think that’s the thing that most bothers me about watching the news. There is nothing I can do about making the problems better. I can only feel awful about it.

I am also so turned off by the insults and attacks both political parties persist in thinking sways voters. Not this voter.

I want to hear what the candidate plans to do for the country. How will they solve the serious problems plaguing our nation? I want to hear ideas, not hate speeches.

Whether it’s hatred toward a candidate or political party it’s off-putting.

I have a close friend who shocked me when she got in the car during one of our outings. She was literally screaming, actually screaming hatred like a wild woman toward a candidate.

She’s been a close friends for a decade and I have always admired her.

When her 35 year marriage ended during ugly circumstances, she said she had no room in her heart for hatred toward her ex-husband.

“Hatred harms you, not the one you hate. It destroyed your peace of mind and harms your health,” she said.

There’s a major difference between hatred and strongly disliking a candidate.

Have you noticed how hatred for people who differ from you in any way is growing across America?

If you don’t encounter it you must be doing something right.

Maybe you even found peace in your life.

I made some life changes to help peace fill my world.

I’m extremely careful about the type of movies I watch and the books I read. I look for what makes me feel good.

I also reserve the time before bedtime to listen to music that fills me with joy.

I discovered the concerts of Andre Rieu on YouTube and it’s opening a world of joy for me.

His music makes me smile and sometimes I laugh out loud. It’s happy, feel good music.

Rieu’s concerts in other countries let me see beautiful places I’ll never see in real life and hear extraordinary musical acts.

Not only does it help me fall asleep happy but I sleep better and those good feelings are still there when I wake.

The concerts expand my mind and teach me, once again, about the goodness of people from all walks of life.

Do you want to make your corner of the world better? Try doing little unexpected deeds for others.

I am heartened at how strangers are doing exactly that.

My friend Jeanne said she was talking out loud to herself in the supermarket as she was trying to find an unusual item.

When a nearby shopper heard her, she told her husband to go get the item and bring it to Jeanne.

Call it the goodness of strangers.

I had an experience with that when I was having a difficult time in a department store.

When I went to the dressing room to try on some clothes I obeyed the sign and left my cart outside the dressing room.

When I came back my card was gone and so was the jacket to my new outfit. It was the first time I wore it and I couldn’t afford to lose it.

The clerk was disinterested in helping but a total stranger took it upon herself to look on the other side of the store for my cart. She found it!

Where do I find peace?

In the goodness of others, in the beauty of nature, in this divine world with its endless delights.

May peace fill your hearts and your days.

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.