Another year has passed from view

And Christmas has arrived once again,

Only this year things are quite different

Somehow, for reasons I’d like to explain.

Our world is in such turmoil and strife,

Peace seems too far to be viewed,

No place is sacred, neither church nor temple

From the hatred and venom that is spewed.

Bombs tear apart a crowded building, killing

Many as young people are saying their vows,

Shopping centers are filled with gunfire,   

Even buses are targets of vengeance now.

Talk of war is all we hear nowadays,

Soldiers being swept off to a foreign land,

Some never to return to their families,   

For  reasons they never fully understand.

It’s hard to think of celebration and joy

When the stench of death is all around. 

But somehow we still have the faith that 

In all of this, some goodness can be found.  

This Christmas we’ll still be celebrating

The birth of our Savior, our Lord and King,

But the seriousness of the past years events

Will remind us of what the future may bring.

As family and friends get together this year,

The festivities may be somewhat subdued,

But as we remember the “reason for the season”,

We’ll look forward to the coming year, renewed.

~Twilah - 2002~