little Island we forget that we live in a place which is blessed by God.

Doubtless a search would produce ways God blessed almost every place, but it does not take a search in Bermuda to find blessings in abundance. Therefore it rests with each and every one of us to ensure that those blessings are shared to be enjoyed by all.

The physical blessings are easy to see and easy to count. God put us down on the better side of the Gulf Stream yet close to a rich and friendly neighbour without untoward designs or desires. He blessed us with an absence of both frost and intense heat and gave us blue skies, beaches, clear waters and green hills. Perhaps Bermuda's physical attributes are the blessing we share most both between ourselves and with our visitors. Far too often we abuse the environment God gave us or we forget to protect the physical beauty he bestowed on Bermuda.

Let us not forget the blessing of democracy and good government and the just rule of law, a blessing which Bermuda has enjoyed for much longer than most countries. If during the past year good government and democracy in Bermuda have been kicked and dented then perhaps the determination of Bermudians to be well governed is being tested. The important thing is that the framework for good government is still healthy.

Some of the great wealth is thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of Bermudians and to the blessing of an inate ability to survive and go on to success but much of our great wealth is attributable directly to God who gave Bermuda location, location, location.

A great deal of Bermuda's success can be directly attributed to Britain which provided good governmental and social systems which serve Bermuda well to this day and which also provided business activity, employment and income by using Bermuda as a major cog in its empire. That again was part of the blessing of location.

The blessing of abundance and wealth in Bermuda is perhaps the least shared.

Bermudians are very generous with their labour and their time and to those in need in other countries but sometimes not so generous at home. It is not right that amid all the opulence and all the extraordinary material wealth of Bermuda at Christmas there are those who are poor, homeless and without a share of the wealth.

Bermudians could reflect this Christmas on the need to do more for each other not just in terms of helping hands but in terms of an equitable and more inclusive system to share the blessings. Bermuda needs to be less concerned about political advantage and more concerned with the needs, both spiritual and physical, of all of the people.