Christmas is a time to make magical memories with family and friends.
It’s also a time to remember there are those who are alone, who have perhaps lost a loved one during 2011, who are sick or may be suffering some other personal crisis.
So as we raise a glass, eat, relax and enjoy each other’s company, we should be as inclusive as possible. Perhaps we can check in on a neighbour or phone a friend or relative we haven’t contacted for a while. Sometimes that makes all the difference.
Not that many in Barrhead need such a reminder.
For if the measure of a civilized society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens – children, the elderly, the poor, the infirm, the suffering – then Barrhead is indeed an advanced, sophisticated and enlightened place.
Christmas has once again demonstrated the decency of its people, many of whom have devoted countless hours to helping others. Not because they want to earn prizes and plaudits, but because it fulfills an emotional and spiritual need.
Giving is a wonderful experience, as volunteers from the Family and Community Support Services will testify. It nourishes the soul and gives meaning to life. Why else are we on Earth? Do we wish to leave a legacy of love or hatred, of hope or despair, of generosity or selfishness?
Read the timeless Saint Francis of Assisi prayer and it will become clear that many in Barrhead have already answered.
The prayer lists aspirations for humanity – peace, love, pardon, faith, hope, light and joy.
Barrhead has those qualities in abundance, although the picture is inevitably more complicated, with many challenges ahead and some wounds to heal. While there is plenty of light, there are murkier patches.
The Pembina Hills school division, for example, will be praying for a period of peace in 2012 after the departure of former Supt. Egbert Stang so soon after Richard Harvey.
To lose one superintendent may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose two within 14 months begins to look like something else.
Safe hands are needed as the board tries to reassure people that education is being steered in the right direction and that internal upheavals are not a distraction.
Organizers of the 2013 Alberta 55-plus Summer Games will also be hoping for calm and steady progress following three recent resignations, including that of chairman Henry Romanchuk.
They will be mindful of the clock as they seek to put in place pieces required for a successful games that could bring big business and tourism benefits to Barrhead.
Then there is the matter of electing a replacement for long-time Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Ken Kowalski.
Mayor Brian Schulz has urged people to vote and have a say in the town’s future.
So yes, there are hurdles ahead, there is uncertainty and faith will be tested.
But against the backdrop of the wider world, where there is conflict, natural disaster and financial turmoil, it is reassuring to know there is an oasis of calm, compassion and humanity called Barrhead.
Thank God for the town, and thank God for its people.
Enjoy the holiday, enjoy the parties and drive carefully on those ice-covered roads.
Merry Christmas everyone.
