I have a friend, old in age but young in spirit, whose window faces the church she attended all her life.

Each Sunday, she observes how few children now walk through that welcoming door.

Her thoughtful concern is always, “We’ll pay for that some day.”

This Christmas season, as fewer children attend such schooling, I wonder who teaches the message of hope and peace given to us from a baby’s manger.

I hope it’s a loving family and community with faith in something greater than they are.

Dorothy Cleaver

Skowhegan