Just got back from South TX, very tired, celebrated Christmas with my two youngest children. Real nice Christmas, I made it into the relax and fun zone and gave frequently to the ringing bells outside each mall entrance. I was actually able to detach enough from world crime and anticipatory doomsday feelings to see the incredible beauty in my wife’s strength, and my children’s hopes and resourcefulness, I sure got my Christmas present.

Today has been pretty much a day of, opening mail, answering e-mail, unwinding from the holiday travel. My eldest son, Aeron, sent me over some CDs I’d requested from the U.K. Spent this morning getting melancholy and listening to some great stuff. I got the Undertakers CD, Unearthed, which features Jackie Lomax, great Liverpool band circa 1963. Also just for the record, Black Sabbath were by no means the first band to be photographed in graveyards, which we seemed to do a lot in the late 60s. I have a photo of the Undertakers at Liverpool Cathedral Graveyard, and I see at least one tombstone, so there’s one for the debaters and history buffs.

OK. What a year. Ozzy and Sharon did everything and in hindsight gave us something to laugh about during a pretty morbid and treacherous year. Good people shouted out loud, and killers killed. The bad guys repositioned themselves. I feel like the round two bell will be ringing as soon as we let the new year in. I’ve got lots of things I want to do, mostly finishing some unfinished projects the first part of the year. Got some travel plans, too.

God Bless America.
I really hope America will not have to be dragged into conflict with other nations and suffer any more loss than what it already has. I hope world peace will remain uppermost in our hearts. I hope that leaders across the world will commit to themselves to better understand the word and action of humility to all things great and small.

Happy New Year
Long live Black Sabbath
Long live Rock and Roll
and God bless you.

Bill Ward