Season’s Greetings from Warren Truss
21st December, 2007
Christmas is a very special time of the year, especially when we are able to spend time with family and friends.
Christmas is much more than an occasion of decorations, gifts and parties. The celebrations and symbols of Christmas highlight the joyous reason for our festivity.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ who brought salvation and the message of peace and goodwill to all.
It is an opportunity for us to celebrate with families and friends the happiness, fulfilment and goodwill that the season brings.
Those who seek to take Christ out of Christmas or Christmas out of the holidays lose the central reason for the celebrations and their meaning and purpose.
As we celebrate with family, friends and loved ones, it is important to remember in the true spirit of Christmas those less fortunate - the homeless, the jobless, the sick, and those spending Christmas alone this year - and consider what we might be able to do to help.
We remember especially the hardship faced by tens of thousands of farming families and their communities because of the ongoing drought. Some people are preparing to enter what could be their eighth year of crushing drought. Their forbearance is incredible and an inspiration to us all.
The way in which the Joyous Christmas message reaches out to all in our society depends on our willingness to lend a helping hand and a caring heart.
I would ask everyone to please pay special attention to conditions on the roads this Christmas. Be patient in what can be difficult circumstances on crowded roads.
Lyn and I extend our very best wishes for a happy Christmas season and a successful 2008. May everyone enjoy the time of giving and sharing with their loved ones, family and friends.
