I will never forget the last Christmas I spent with my sister in Idaho. It was a special time…I had just met my then-husband-to-be and she was doing a bit better in her journey with cancer. It was bitterly cold and there was so much snow out there. I always flew into Missoula when I went to visit and we usually returned to Missoula the day before my departure to enjoy the restaurants and do some shopping. That year, as we wandered the snow covered streets after dinner in a Thai restaurant, we were drawn to the glow from one window on the street. What we found took our breath away. A display window filled with strings of bright, colorful paper cranes. A thousand paper cranes for peace. We stood there, silent, writing the moment on our hearts. I have carried it with me ever since. Recently, I found a wonderful recording, read by Liv Ullman with music by George Winston, called “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes,” which tells the story of a young girl in Japan after the bombs, who decided to fold 1000 paper cranes for peace before she died. She made it to 644. I want to do this. I want to fold 1000 paper cranes and, with each one, I want to remember that shining moment with my sister and nine-hundred and ninety-nine other shining moments in my life filled with peace and hope. I have a friend who is going to show me how to fold the cranes. I will have him over to dinner soon and learn how to begin my journey on this goal.