Faith and the Front Porch: When Peace Starts at Home
By: Dan Larson
From the fictional town of Cedar Valley, where characters from Quiet Echo continue to respond to real-world events.
Last night, the wind came early, rattling the windows before supper. Our youngest, Abby, hurried to gather the napkins that had blown off the porch table while Rebecca lit a candle in the center of the meal. The power flickered once, then steadied. I sat down, phone in hand, scrolling through another string of headlines—wars, protests, and shouting on the steps of some faraway city hall.
Rebecca reached across the table and laid her hand on mine. “Let’s eat before it gets cold,” she said.
For a few quiet minutes, we did. Then our boy Luke, the one who always speaks straight, looked up from his plate. “Dad,” he said, “why do people hate each other so much?”
The question stopped me mid-bite. I didn’t have a polished answer. The only sound was the hum of the refrigerator and the rain against the window.
Finally, Rebecca spoke. “You can’t stop a storm by yelling at the wind,” she said softly. “But you can close the window.” She passed the bread, and for a moment the room felt lighter.
After dinner, I stood on the porch watching the rain ease into a mist. The candle inside still flickered against the glass. Across the street, our neighbor Mr. Patel was carrying groceries inside. I raised my hand to wave. He waved back. It was small, but it felt like something—like a shared promise that not every word in the world had to be angry.
I think peace might begin like that—quietly, between porches. Not as a headline, but as a habit. A hand lifted instead of a fist. A father who listens before he speaks. A family who keeps praying even when the news says not to bother.
When I went back inside, Abby was drawing at the table. She’d written the word “peace” in crayon across the top of her paper and filled the page with a house, a tree, and a sun. “This is our home,” she said.
And it is—our small piece of calm in a restless world. If enough homes in Cedar Valley can hold this kind of peace, maybe the noise outside won’t seem so loud. Maybe the world could learn something from a front porch on a rainy night.
This editorial is part of the fictional Cedar Valley News series. While the people and town are fictional, the national events they reflect on are real.
It’s free, live, and fresh! Quiet Echo—A Cedar Valley News Podcast is live on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4nV8XsE, Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hdNHfX, YouTube: https://bit.ly/48Zfu1g , and Podcastle: https://bit.ly/4pYRstE. Every day, you can hear Cedar Valley’s editorials read aloud by the voices you’ve come to know—warm, steady, and rooted in the values we share. Step into the rhythm of our town, one short reflection at a time. Wherever you listen, you’ll feel right at home. Presented by the Readers and Writers Book Club: https://bit.ly/3KLTyg4
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Correction:
We take the quote by Marcella Smith, Small Press Business Manager, Barnes & Noble seriously: “The author is essential to the success of the book, giving energy behind the book to make it something that a customer will come in and ask for. That is what makes the difference in a book that sells, that develops legs, and has a life of its own. Otherwise the book goes on the shelf and stays there for three months. Then it gets returned.”
This is Publication Consultants’ motivation for constantly striving to assist authors sell and market their books. ACM is Publication Consultants’ plan to accomplish this so that our authors’ books have a reasonable opportunity for success. We know the difference between motion and direction. ACM is direction! ACM is the process for authors who are serious about bringing their books to market. ACM is a boon for serious authors, but a burden for hobbyist. We don’t recommend ACM for hobbyists.
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An Author Page on Amazon Author Central is a serious author ACM requirement and desirable for the hobbyist. Author Central is a free resource designed to help authors become more active participants in the promotion of their books. In Author Central you can manage an Author Page, update information about your books, and view Customer Reviews and sales information for your bibliography. If you don’t already have an Author Page on 
We hear authors complain about all the personal stuff on Facebook. Most of these complaints are because the author doesn’t understand the difference difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page. Simply put, a profile is for personal things for friends and family; a page is for business. If your book is just a hobby, then it’s fine to have only a Facebook profile and make your posts for friends and family; however, if you’re serious about your writing, and it’s a business with you, or you want it to be business, then you need a Facebook page as an author. It’s simple to tell if it’s a page or a profile. A profile shows how many friends and a page shows how many likes. Here’s a link <> to a straight forward description on how to set up your author Facebook page.
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