About 10 years ago, I stood in Paris with my sister watching the Eiffel Tower light up at Christmas. I remembered it the other day when enjoying the Christmas lights in London. So my thoughts are with those families whose loved ones will never come home again. The people who died were probably just like you or me, and millions of other people around the world. They were enjoying a Friday night out with friends and looking forward to the weekend. They could smile, laugh, cry, frown as they listened and talked about their week.

Those people are gone now and they will never tell their stories again. There are so many stories to be told in our world whether from people in Africa, China, England, India, or Iceland, just to pick a few countries at random. These stories may stem from many different views and experiences whether Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Wiccan, or Humanist, again just to pick a few cultures at random. These different voices make up the rich tapestry of our planet and it is sad when their threads are cut wherever they are – Paris or Beirut or anywhere.

Paris is a beautiful city of free-spirited people. I hope their city lights won’t stay dimmed for long, and that we can all build a future where we celebrate our differences rather than being afraid of them.