Now that 2010 has come to a frayed end, many wonder how to regather the seams of their lives and construct "a garment of praise." When you've lost your home, your job, your  savings, and even loved ones, the fabric of your life—once carefully stitched like a patchwork quilt—has become unraveled, and many of the patches lost. What of Faith? Faith then becomes evasive and aloof. Friends and family members reach out with colloquial inspiration, "you just have to have faith." And somewhere in our process analysis and critical thinking skills, we mutter that notion in the quietness of our minds. …

The most wonderful time of the year can feel like the most dreaded time of year for the thousands of families who have been hit by the storm of the recession—lost wages, lower wages and in many instances no wages at all. In fact, many families affected by the recession would rather "hop scotch" over this holiday season. Truly that storm hit the Austell-Mableton communities, with over 7,000 homes damaged in the infamous flood of 2009, the Closing of the Home Depot Clearance Center in January of this year, the "consolidation" of Caraustar Industries in June of 2009 and the forthcoming closing …