We got several inches of snow over Christmas this year. Last night, the snow was eerily beautiful as it reflected the light from the moon. This morning, though, the sun was shining and nearly blinded me as it hit the snow. Same snow, different intensity of reflection, with different effects. One was calming, while the other made me turn my head and shade my eyes.

January is typically a time of reflection. We review the year just past and look toward the year to come. But, like the moon or sun shining off the snow, reflecting on the past can produce different feelings. When you look at the past year, do you like what you see, or is it painful?

This year, I want to reflect God’s light and love to those around me. I am human, so I know that I am not going to be perfect in this. Like clouds that cover a full moon, there will be times when my human nature will get in the way of God's light, and my actions will reflect Him poorly. I pray those times will be minimized.

But, there will also be times of beauty. When I hold my tongue instead of lashing out, or give someone the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping to conclusions. When I extend the hand of friendship to someone who is alone, or welcome a stranger as a friend. When I forgive someone without being asked.

Whenever each of us reflects God’s light, the world becomes a better place.

And speaking of a better place, let me reflect a bit on the Good Samaritans community, where we have the best gaming experience around. We have reduced congestion on the UO server by going from 24 slots to 30. By deploying the GS Map Packs, we have been able to bring back some old maps. We haven't played those maps for a while, so enjoy these "new" maps.

We look forward to having fun with you, and some of the best fun can be found by joining us on TeamSpeak. We know that some of you don't like all the extra noise, or feel strange talking to your monitor, but consider giving it a try every now and then. After all, you might say the one thing that will reflect God's love and wisdom to someone who needs it.

See you in the game, in the Forum, or on TeamSpeak. We hope you have a wonderful year!