Fires, floods and frustrations. Drought, displacement and despair. Where is Christmas? Quakes, shakes and short-fuse tremors. Where is the basis for any kind of celebration for persons who still sit in despair or walk mournfully in distraught because they were struck by some natural disasters in the course of the year?

Life is not fair; we often hear or even mutter ourselves because of the contradictions deduced about the nature of the leading disasters that periodically appear to remind mankind of her
position in the grand scheme of creation. When we throw in the element of helplessness, the matter gets complicated, further constricting the window available for us to breathe.

Natural disasters tend to inflict a sense of suffocation in their aftermath as we process the degree of unfairness unleashed in the process. Yet somehow, life lets us move again. Before long the steps become many and we put considerable distance between us and the location of the disaster. These things make for a fascinating study. But we cannot deny the fact that some people are heavily reluctant in releasing their cooperation to move on after disaster strikes. The blow from the disaster was so heavy that its toll on the spirit, beyond the physical devastation, is proportionally very huge. The sad song of life is not fair lingers much longer like a frustrating blanket would not easily yield its end to a sleeper desperate to continue his beautiful sleep while trying to stay warm from a noticeable change in the temperature of the room from warm to biting cold.

Speaking of ends of the blankets, persons who have experienced one natural disaster or the other in the course of the year may take consolation in the fact that like the ends of these blankets, these disasters have ends. Sometimes, it appears as if they go on a short recess and hope to resume the attack shortly after, but somehow, we are given some kind of room to pick a few things and get away before the bigger evil falls.

We did not design creation. Perhaps we would have removed all natural disasters if we had the power but we are here and others before us took their ‘share’ and reminded us to ensure we maintain our sanity and hope even if they take away everything including the shirts on our backs! Through our sanity and hope, we have forged coping systems and reactions, which have served us well as our faith.

Hope is a massive ingredient in the Christmas architecture, especially from the first edition.

Here is wishing everyone who has suffered one natural disaster or the other in the course of the year a Christmas and end of year, filled with hope.