Family Matters

Every year since 1982, the 25th of December (Christmas Day) is a memorial day for me. One of the people who had the greatest influence on my life passed away that day. I remember the phone call early in the morning, telling me he was not with us anymore. He was the first person close to me who had ever died. I was just 18 and for a long time I thought about not having the opportunity to say goodbye.

Just before the holidays and the start of a new year, we went to Southbank Parklands in Brisbane to spread some real holiday cheer with free hugs and some good friends.
Some truly touching stories were told to us, like a grandmother, whose grandson had been in an accident in the country and had been flown [...]

We have many hopes for the holidays - we hope that something special will happen at midnight between when the year changes. We have hopes for the new year (even though in different places in the world, that moment happens at different times). The more frustrated we are with our current situation, the more hopes we have for magic to happen to us, just like that.

During the holidays, many people realise they are lonely just by looking around and seeing others travel to another country to be with their loved ones. Many people realise they are broke just looking around at the shops full of people buying like crazy. Many people realise they are still frustrated with their work, hearing about others getting bonuses for the holidays. Some people find out how troubled their relationships are just trying to decide where to celebrate the holidays.