Tribune editorial staff

With just a handful of days left before Christmas 2003, we've been doing some thinking: If Lawrence County could look Santa in the eye and offer up a list of "wishes" what would top the list?

We'd boil them down to three desires in three different areas:

&t;Social - We know it is clich to ask for peace and harmony, but what if we could eliminate a bit of the cross-county friction. You know what we mean, the kind that often comes up - even in our relatively small corner of the world - when our neighbors receive something we wanted. We hope that Lawrence County will seriously work hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm together to make things happen. What's good for one area of the county benefits all parts of the county.

&t;Community - Anyone who spends time in our area can recognize the distinct sense of pride and community that exists. It's a rare blend of faith, family and sense of place that makes our area so special. Unfortunately, some people are determined to see the world as a reflection in their "half-filled" glass. A little positive thinking will go a long way toward overcoming those negative naysayers who are always quick to point out any warts they may see. Negativism is a cancer that can nibble away until it overpowers all of the good in the community. We need to always focus on the positive and on where we are going.

&t;Economic - Each election year, we hear the mantra, "jobs, jobs, jobs." We all agree we need jobs, but we think we should deal in more specifics. We'd love nothing better for Christmas than to be able to drive by The Point industrial park and the South Ironton Industrial Park and see construction crews fast at work.

As we look back on our list, much of these "wishes" are heavily dependent upon our community believing that the sky is the limit and working to soar into that sky together.