— Martin Luther

The world is on the move. We live in an atmosphere of constant change. In such a world, we look for peace in our heart. We look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing.

Autumn in Maine offers a magnificent, absolutely breathtaking display of glowing, radiant, varied colors of splendor. The tinted leaves, with shaded hues of amber, brown, red, orange and yellow, mixing with the deep greens of the pines, spruces and balsam firs, is a landscape to remember.

Nature itself, in a world darkened with the threat of war, difficulties and trials, offers messages of hope and comfort. Unrest in the world, fear of terrorism and the discouraging circumstances might make us think that our future is bleak.

What a gift we have in our own hands. I still think the Thanksgiving story is awesome. The pilgrims’ courage and perseverance became a cherished and celebrated part of our American heritage. Thanksgiving is a happy holiday and a reminder that we owe thanks to those who struggled in a new world to establish a community. We are comforted by the knowledge that what we are doing is for the well-being for everyone.

As we embrace the joys fall and winter have to offer, we must also remember that home fires are more prevalent in cold weather. Last fall, the American Red Cross launched a program to reduce fire-related deaths and injuries by 25 percent over five years.

A major piece of this effort is going door-to-door in targeted areas to provide fire safety education and install free smoke alarms where needed. They have already held several of these events around the state, including in Biddeford and Saco. Last year they installed more than 800 free smoke alarms in Maine.

Here is some information from the Red Cross about fires.

• Most fires are related to cooking or heating.

• Fires kill more Americans than all natural disasters combined.

• A working smoke alarm increases your odds of surviving a fire by about 50 percent; 60 percent of house fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms. People are advised to install smoke alarms on each level of their home, inside bedrooms as well as outside sleeping areas, test them monthly, replace their batteries yearly and replace the alarms themselves every 10 years. Smoke alarms can be kept clean by vacuuming over and around them.

• People should have an escape plan in the event of a fire and practice this plan to ensure everybody who lives at the residence knows what to do when the smoke alarm sounds.

The Red Cross in Maine responds to more than 300 fires annually, and last year provided food and emergency shelter for 600 families affected by fires. Learn more at redcross.org/homefires.

Red Cross services are free and made possible through the work of more than 1,000 volunteers and the generosity of donors. If people would like to learn more, or are interested in volunteering or donating, they can visit redcross.org.

— Zaffie Hadiaris of Saco is the host of “Zaffie,” a weekly television talk show on Channel 3 Biddeford public access. It can also be seen at biddefordmaine.org. Contact Zaffie at zhadiaris@hotmail.com.