This Christmas...

Last Christmas we were thinking about
all the things we didn't have;
This Christmas we are thinking about
all the things we do have.


Last Christmas we were placing wreaths
on the doors of our homes;
This Christmas we are placing wreaths
on the graves of our heroes.


Last Christmas we were letting our sons
play with toy guns;
This Christmas we are teaching them
that guns are not toys.


Last Christmas we were counting our money;
This Christmas we are counting our blessings.


Last Christmas we paid lip service to the real
meaning of the holidays;
This Christmas we are paying homage to it.


Last Christmas we were lighting candles
to decorate;
This Christmas we are lighting candles to
commemorate.


Last Christmas we were digging deep into
our bank accounts to find the money
to fly home for the holiday;
This Christmas we are digging deep into our
souls to find the courage to do so.


Last Christmas we were trying not to let
annoying relatives get the best of us;
This Christmas we are trying to give the best
of ourselves to them.


Last Christmas we thought it was enough to
celebrate the holidays;
This Christmas we know we must also find
ways to consecrate them.


Last Christmas we thought a man who could
rush down a football field was a hero;
This Christmas we know a man who rushes
into a burning building is the real one.


Last Christmas we were thinking about the
madness of the holidays;
This Christmas we are thinking about the
meaning of them.


Last Christmas we were getting on one
another's nerves;
This Christmas we are getting on our knees.


Last Christmas we were giving thanks for gifts from stores;
This Christmas we are giving thanks for gifts
from God.


Last Christmas we were wondering how to
give our children all the things that
money can buy--the hottest toys, the
latest fashions, the newest gadgets;
This Christmas we are wondering how to give
them all the things it can't--a sense of
security, safety, and peace.


Last Christmas we were thinking about all
the pressure we are under at the office;
This Christmas, we are thinking about all the
people who no longer have an office to
go to.


Last Christmas we were singing carols;
This Christmas we are singing anthems.


Last Christmas we were thinking how good
it would feel to be affluent;
This Christmas we are thinking how good it
feels to be alive.


Last Christmas we thought angels were in
heaven;
This Christmas we know some are right here
on earth.


Last Christmas we were contemplating all
the changes we wanted to make in the
New Year;
This Christmas we are contemplating all the
changes we will have to make in this
new reality.


Last Christmas we believed in the power of
the pocketbook;
This Christmas we believe in the power of prayer.


Last Christmas we were complaining about
how much of our earnings went to pay taxes;
This Christmas we comprehend that freedom
isn't free.


Last Christmas we valued things that were costly;
This Christmas we value things that are holy.


Last Christmas the people we idolized wore
football, basketball and baseball uniforms;
This Christmas the people we idolize wear
police, firefighters and military uniforms.


Last Christmas "peace on earth" is
something we prayed for on Sunday mornings;
Now it is something we pray for every day.