Don�t look much farther..

You never know how much you had until it�s gone. One of life�s many lessons that some of us are forced to learn young. You see, 2003 was a great year for me. I made some lifelong friends, I read books that will stay with me forever and I experienced things that many people do not through entire lifetimes. I don�t believe I will ever truly realise how much this year has meant for me personally. One thing I will never forget this year for is the lessons it has taught me. And the opening sentence is one of them. Fortunately I haven�t completely lost anything yet. Although it is inevitable that one day, everything must go.
I was on my way home from the Christmas service. A bunch of my friends had invited me to a small party with them, but this being the first Christmas I was to spend away from family, I didn�t feel quite up to it. Though what hit me hardest was as I walked through various lanes and by-lanes in my efforts to find an auto, I began to notice people to whom the 25th of December was just another little box on the calendar. These are probably people I might have seen before going about their work, but I think seeing them alone on Christmas eve is what hit me. I guess I had reason to feel sorry for myself too; after all I was going to be alone this Christmas. But all things considered, I do believe that we seldom realised how privileged we really are. I saw an old woman, sitting alone on the steps of her house. She looked to be consoling herself with the memories of the years past, of times that might have been happier than the loneliness I saw her face reflect as I passed her. I saw a young man, sleeping by the road, not having had too much to remember and be happy about, though I have the feeling, he probably felt that he didn�t have anything to look forward to either. They�re so many millions of people like them. People for whom the holidays and the love of a family or loved one are merely dreams that are often too much to even hope for.
So there I stood thanking my stars and fortune until today. For now I know that no matter how far away the people and memories I hold dear to me seem, when I bring them to my heart, they�re just a thought away. And so to everyone who may chance upon this, bring to your heart the people who you cherish the most, chances are they�re thinking of you as well! Merry Christmas!