Silent Christmas
By Tom Pryor

Like many people in 2001, Joseph Mohr pictured himself being fired.

Mohr was diligently making last-minute preparations for the Christmas Eve candlelight service for his employer, St. Nicholas Church. Everything from music to message had been planned for six months. One of his final tasks as assistant priest was to check the organ. That's when his heart sank. Despite repeated attempts, the old instrument would not make a sound. Mohr worked on it for hours, but the organ remained silent.

Mohr prayed for a solution. As he raised his head, Mohr's eye caught notice of a worn, piece of paper on the corner of his desk. On it, scribbled two years earlier, was his untitled poem that began, "Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright." With the aid of a thirty-one-year-old schoolteacher, Franz Gruber, who quickly provided a melody, the church choir sang on the evening of December 24, 1818, one of the most recorded songs in history, "Silent Night".

We can learn several lessons from this true story...

• Good things can come out of bad situations;
• God's ideas are a lot better than ours;
• Collaboration with others often helps when we're confused;
• Activities performed in years past often prepare us for what we'll be confronted with today; and,
• Silence can lead to success.

What lessons did you learn in 2001? It was a tough year for most everyone, even before the tragic events of 9-11 and the subsequent recession. If like me, there are some things you want to remember about 2001 and others you'd just soon forget and say, "Good riddance".

My family is planning an unusual New Year's Eve celebration this year. We're going to begin with a Good Riddance Party. As we welcome in the New Year, we're going to begin the party by putting the Old Year's mistakes, regrets, shortcomings and disappointments behind us. To do that, family members will write what they wish to forget about 2001 on small pieces of paper and place them in a shoebox. As we shout in unison, "Good riddance," we'll throw the box into the fireplace and watch them go up in smoke.

As we enjoy the warmth of the fire… enhanced by the burning shoebox… we'll find a comfortable chair and take time to talk about the good things that happened in 2001. The past year was not solely filled with disappointment. Much good occurred in 2001. Many prayers were answered. Progress was made on several fronts. And as we bring the night to an end, watching the ball drop on TV in Times Square, we'll share our hopes, dreams and resolutions for 2002. Our thoughts will purposely move from the past to the future and the great promise it holds.

Based on the feedback we've received to our articles, our readers have varied pasts. Some of have mature, useful, frequently used ABM systems. Others have ABM implementations in process or in planning. A few silently contemplate the need for improved cost information. And too many are dealing with ABM abandonment. No matter your situation, I hope that my articles have provided some useful ideas to apply to your professional and personal life, a few words of encouragement and even maybe a laugh or two.

Until ICMS returns in 2002 with many new and exciting things, I encourage you to carve out some quality silent time during the holiday season. Contemplate the past. Dream and cast a vision for the future. While Christmas shopping I saw a poster that asked the question, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" It's a simple question, but it took me longer than anticipated to properly answer. Contemplate that question yourself. Write down your answer and make it one of your goals for 2002.

The event sung about in "Silent Night" is documented in Luke 2:1-20. The story begins with, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world." Census is an accounting. The census was an important part of the Christmas story. A census can be an important part of your story in 2002. A census often brings us to our senses. Take a census of where you and your organization are and where you're going. A census can be simple activity leading to a great thing. It led to a great thing over 2,000 years ago!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the entire staff of ICMS.

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