Janell Wood, a resident of Othello and a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Othello, called last week to ask about how to get the word out about an event she and friends at the church are planning.

She had a soft voice, and I had to pay close attention. She told me it would be a New Year’s Eve party. She tried to tell me her vision of it but struggled. I asked her to write to me, and this is what she wrote:

The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year for some of us. Perhaps the thing that makes them most wonderful of all is the love that is shared.

Every song, every present, every baked cookie, every little tradition comes down to that one thing: love. Without a focus on that love, the holidays can easily slip into a whole bunch of stress, craziness, sometimes even emptiness.

For some, there is a lot of love and joy. For others, this season can be a reminder of all the love and joy that’s missing.

With those thoughts in mind, some people meeting in a weekly Bible study started asking: “How do we spread love and joy to our community?”

We wanted to reach everyone - those who have little joy and those who have much. We prayerfully considered what we had to offer, and then we asked for help.

Other local organizations, groups and churches have jumped on board to assemble a true community effort. So together, we offer this invitation to everyone in Othello:

Whether this is the most wonderful time of year for you or not, if you’re in town on New Year’s Eve, we hope you’ll join us and invite your neighbors. Let’s spread the joy and love this holiday season.

See the Come Together 2016 advertisement in the paper for the details of this free New Year’s Eve event. If you have nothing else to do, go to the party. No matter how you feel beforehand, you’ll feel better afterward, sort of like when I read Janell’s letter.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a love-filled New Year’s Eve.