Peace be with you this holiday season Published Dec. 15, 2010 By Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Warren "Chappy" Watties Wing Chaplain VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- "Peace Be With You This Holiday Season!" Peace is one thing every Airman in the world wants, but what is "peace" and how can we obtain it? One lady wrote a letter to Dear Abby, the letter read, "Dear Abby, I have found the secret to inner peace and I want to share it with all of your readers. The secret is to finish the things you start. Today alone, I finished two bags of potato chips, a chocolate pie, a bottle of wine and a box of candy. I feel better already!" She may have felt better but I'm sure you agree that this is not real peace. Webster's dictionary says peace is freedom from war, freedom from public disorder, freedom from disagreements or quarrels, an undisturbed state of mind, absence of mental conflict; calm, quiet, tranquility. This kind of peace only comes when conflict or problems are not present. To get this kind of peace, I would have to get rid of all those things that are capable of creating anxiety in my life such as my family, my job, my friends and my bills. There is no way to live life without these things; therefore one could say it is impossible to have peace in this life. However, there is a peace that comes from faith in God. This peace doesn't come from getting rid of your problems but comes in the midst of your problems. This peace is not the absence of conflict; it's the presence of God in the midst of my chaos. This Holiday Season it is my prayer that every Airman will have horizontal peace with self and others. Horizontal peace comes from doing your best to get along with the people around you. You don't have to agree with everyone's opinion or life style. You work hard to live life as a peacemaker wherever you go. You say words such as, "excuse me," "thank you," and "forgive me," as often as necessary to make horizontal peace with your fellow Airmen. I also pray that every Airman will have vertical peace with God. This comes from living the tenets of your faith. May the Peace of God be with you this Holiday Season and throughout 2011!