Birdie: By the Rev. Dudley Crawford and the others behind the sixth annual interfaith religious service recently held at the Chapel of the Pines, in Seven Lakes.

Begun in 2006, when the ecumenically minded Crawford approached Mindy Fineman of Temple Beth Shalom down the road, the annual example of interfaith harmony has now expanded to involve a broader variety of religious expressions. The most recent groups to become involved are the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Sandhills and a Buddhist group called the Community of Mindful Living in the Pines.

After the worshipers were called together by the blowing of a ram's horn, the observance included "a little bit of everything," said choir member Shirley Percival. "It was a real interfaith combination."

Our world, torn by sectarian hatred and violence, sorely needs more such efforts at spiritual unity.

Birdie: By the village of Pinehurst's Beautification Committee, whose efforts, often unsung, have come together to bear so much visual fruit in the form of the beautiful holiday decorations now gracing the downtown.

The 19 members of the committee come together to serve as an advisory body to the village government, but many of them also put in untold hours as individuals to make their influence felt throughout their great little community.

"I think what we have done has been contagious," says committee co-chair Bart O'Connor.

This kind of contagion we can use more of.

Eagle: By the dozens of good souls who rearranged their own Thanksgiving plans to spend hours last Thursday distributing 552 free dinners from three locations in northern Moore County.

The recipients of the holiday meals were mostly children in the Moore County Schools BackPack Pals program and members of their families. Those on the giving end were most of the 75 members of little Fairview Baptist Church in West End.

BackPack Pals, largely a brainchild of Aberdeen school volunteer Linda Hubbard, one of our favorite people here at The Pilot, sends nourishing food home with those students who otherwise might not get enough to eat on weekends. That program, which began in 2005 by helping 25 children, now serves 1,100 in 20 schools across the county.

Out of that grew the northern Moore Thanksgiving meal program, which started as the brainchild of David and Annette Hancock, who got lots of help to put it together. As a result, hundreds of homes had considerably more reason to be thankful last week. Kudos to all involved for getting the holiday spirit off to such a heartwarming start.