There is no question that September 11 is a date that will never be forgotten.

Like the attack on Pearl Harbor and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, people remember where they were when they first heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Like Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination, the September 11 attacks changed people's lives, sparking an upsurge in patriotism and bringing home the reality that life is short and can end at any time.

People around the world felt that their perspectives had changed and there was a renewed interest in giving to others and living every day like it is your last.

More than three months later, those feelings still exist, but as everyday life intrudes, people inevitably return to their normal routines.

Still, this will be a Christmas unlike most others, with the legacy of the attacks hanging over the normal holiday celebrations.

Christmas is the time of the year when we are reminded that it is better to give than to receive and to think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Bermuda has not been touched to the same extent as places like New York City by the attacks, but it should never be forgotten that two of Bermuda's own lost their lives in the attacks and we should set some time aside this week to think of Boyd Gatton and Rondelle Tankard and their families, for whom the pain of their loss is still very real.

This is also the right time to reinforce the humanity that most people felt in the wake of the attacks.

The extraordinary generosity and compassion of Bermuda in the wake of the attacks should not be forgotten either - but the task before us now is how we can exercise that same compassion and generosity of spirit in our every day lives.

While it is difficult to compare the sudden shock of the September 11 attacks with the suffering that people in Bermuda and around the world go through every day, we should make the effort to reach out to our neighbours and find ways to help.

There are people today in Bermuda who are homeless or sick, who need help from those who have been more fortunate in their lives, and as part of the human race, it is important that we should extend a hand, especially as the Island struggles through recession and more people are faced with the likelihood of losing their jobs and livelihoods this winter.

The lessons that Jesus Christ should be applied by all of us, regardless of the depth and variety of our beliefs.

In the St. James Bible, the letter to Corinthians talks about "faith, hope and charity ... and the greatest of those is charity". More modern translations of the Bible use the term love instead of charity, but the meaning the is the same.

September 11 showed us the huge role that chance plays in our lives and why we must live every day to the full. And it also teaches us that hope in the future, faith in the essential goodness of man and charity and love towards our fellow man are the path that we should follow as we endeavour to make this a better and more humane world, where, one day, events like the September 11 attacks will be nothing more than a distant memory of a crueller time.

The staff of The Royal Gazette wish all of you, our valued readers, a merry Christmas.