What happened in Newtown was an absolute horror which I feel could have been prevented. I do not have all of the answers, but they are out there. We just have to work to find them. With every right there are limits. As a country we need to have this discussion, and we need to find workable solutions.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

Dear Gerry, Public libraries are about literacy, learning, and imagination. They’re the one place in the community where any person can go to use a computer, check out movies, research any topic, hold a meeting, learn a language, or travel to anywhere in the world through reading. Especially during these tough economic times, libraries serve as an important public resource for career and job skills information and training.

Mason Young First of all, I would like to say how proud I am of our football team and how far they have gone. This kind of success only comes from outstanding adult leadership from their coaches. In general I would like to compliment all the young people in our community. I am the father of 6 boys, 2 girls, several grandchildren and even some great grandchildren and I have never seen young people like we have in our community.

Dear Mr. Gamel: In this season of giving, I want to give thanks to all members of the Mason County Welfare Board for the Dual Credit Tuition Assistance. I have taken U.S. History and am now taking Anatomy, Government and College Algebra which adds up to 24 credit hours. As a senior preparing for college, every penny saved goes toward college.

Dear Mr. Gamel: I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Mason who donated to the dual credit tuition program. I am currently approaching the second semester of my U.S. History Dual Credit class as a junior, and I have important targets I hope to reach for my future.

Dear Mr. Gamel: I wanted to take this time out to show my appreciation and thank the members of the Mason County Child Welfare Board for being able to help my family and me with the cost of the Dual Credit classes I’ve taken and are continuing to take my senior year.

At church, we've been moving into Christmas by focusing on the "advent," the coming. So often, when we celebrate Christmas, we focus on the destination, the birth, the "event." We forget that the journey is just as important. The prophets of the Old Testament told of what was coming. They didn't talk of only the Christ child, they also foresaw the coming of John, the one who would lead the way.

In O'Henry's wonderful short story, "Gift of the Magi," a poor young couple struggle through Christmas and the quandary of finding the perfect gift. She has long, lustrous hair. He has a treasured old pocket watch. She sells her hair to buy him a watch chain. He sells his watch to buy a fine comb for her hair.

We did not vote for Grover Norquist, or Nation before Party If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the news, you know that, as expected, nothing has changed after the elections. Apparently, Congress remains at a standstill, and they are more than willing to cause much more damage to the economy, which includes you and me.

The early days of December are a difficult time. We've made our way through Thanksgiving; but, we're not quite in the throes of the Christmas season quite yet. There's all the gifts to buy, the plans to make and the parties to attend; but , it's still an "in between"

Dear Editor, A big thank you to everyone who donates usable goods to the Community Thrift Store. They also appreciate the couple that made a generous cash donation to the store. The proceeds from sales enable the Community Foundation in awarding grants to the Mason area. Check out the new inventory that arrives daily. Carolyn Phillips for: Mason Community Foundation Mason Community Thrift Store

Gerald, Sunday afternoon at the high school auditorium those in attendance saw some mighty fine western ART! Clyde Martin

"Raindrops on roses, And whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles And warm woolen mittens. Bright paper packages All tied up with string. These are a few Of my favorite things." When Maria VonTrapp sings those verses in "The Sound of Music," it's not really a Christmas song. She's singing a song to comfort the children as a loud storm moves through the Austrian countryside.

It's the Thanksgiving holiday. This year, the number of events and celebrations over the long weekend just keep piling up. Thursday, naturally enough, is Thanksgiving Day. Though set aside as a time to give thanks for the harvest and bounty of blessings we receive, it's slowly evolved into a day to overeat, watch parades and football, and take long naps on the sofa. Friday has become known as BLACK FRIDAY, the busiest shopping day of the year.