It is easier to write about the evil in the world than about the good. Writers who focus on violence, greed, ugliness, and hypocrisy can appear more sophisticated, more intelligent, more mature, more aware of the world's true nature. Award-winning author Roland Merullo recognizes these challenges to humankind as clearly as anyone, but also believes they get more than their share of coverage, and that cargo of bad news can act as an oppressive weight on the mind.

At the start of a recent gray, cold, New England winter, Merullo decided to make a list of some of the remarkable acts he has witnessed, and the generous, kind, and brave people he has had the good fortune to know.

Moments of Grace and Beauty is intended to serve as a counterweight to the abundance of trouble in the news, and is offered as evidence of the good will still present on earth.