"The importance of our believing," by Kaleen Deatherage

West Hills Friends

Kaleen Deatherage shares the story of Virginia O’Hanlon and Francis Church. The famous line, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," comes from an editorial written by Church in response to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia, who asked if Santa Claus was real. This editorial was first published in The Sun, a New York newspaper, on September 21, 1897. How do you reconcile your hopes and your fears in this skeptical age? How might you experience 2025 differently if you can abandon yourself to God, and let Spirit do its work within you? No matter what is happening externally, how can you respond to Merton's challenge to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy?