Editors Corner

By Mary E. Adair

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." - Kahlil Gibran.

Owning a book of Gibran's lovely words means that many times they have soothed my soul. Soothing is what my soul needs now, as it appears that our pencilstub archives have been lost. A loss of many hours of dedication, coding, backing up of data bases, and funding is not even counted as part of the meaningful deficit. Feeling as if a trust has been violated, that the standard is dropped and trampled, never to regain its former glory. My heart goes out along with apologies to the authors, and readers and prospective readers, as for the most part, the door has been sealed to the treasures of the past. Mourn with us, but remember, once seen, words live on in someone's heart forever. Where shall light be found now?

Michael Craner, Mike to most of us, has kept us online for nearly a full sixteen years, keeping a revered art and literature source viable through his dedication and skill. Thank you, Mike, and one can only hope that once again you will find the key to restoration.

BULLETIN: Mike and Support with some researching by Denise was able to restore the ezine's database and save our archives. Your editor was able to get all of the December issue entered to the ezine and so now all is well! Happy Ending!

Columnists in this issue are Eric Shackle (Eric Shackle's Column) encouraging community singalongs and revealing the secret love life of lobsterian crustaceans;Peg Jones (Angel Whispers); Mattie Lennon, (Irish Eyes) who reminds us of famous days of hunger in his Ireland; Michael John Fierro (By the Numbers) who regales us with the numerological aspects of December; Thomas F. O'Neill (Introspective) who gives us a glimpse of holiday time in China. Judith Kroll (On Trek) speaks on gratitude to grace every day. John Blair's column "Always Looking" remembers an architect with a true grasp of what those using his buildings really needed. John's two poems are moving tributes, love songs in truth, for his late wife, Clara.

Phillip Hennessy shares three of his poems: "I Don't Know What Possessed Me," "If You Want to Get on," and "Live For The Day." Bruce Clifford's three are: "I Tried," "Somewhere in Space," and "How Could I?" Bud Lemire's poems for December are "Hugs from Heaven," and "Your Inner Self." Riva Joi Smith offers a contemplative tone poem, "Recapping."

Mark Crocker continues the tale of "Lexi" in the story section. Kay Roy Jones adds her story, "What We Need," and Denise Sly Sebastion brings another 'tryst' to our pages, "Dreaming."

May everyone find time to share with their families and friends during the various holidays of December. Whatever your faith and practice, honor it and those who share your life while you can.

Look for us in January as we hope to be around to finish the volume 16 of Pencil Stubs Online!

Merry Christmas!