In all 12 of the countries struck by the wave that killed around 250,000 people, candles are being prepared for floating out to sea this evening. Each flickering light will recall a life lost. At 9.
30 this morning, President Mahinda Rajapakse will lead Sri Lanka in two minutes of silence. He will introduce two new commemorative stamps and address the nation. Flags will be at half-mast.
His message will seem simple: the country must unite and go forward. Many events have been organised by the army of independent volunteers who altered their lives to help others a year ago. Most view this anniversary as the time to leave.
Some will head for other charity projects, encouraged by what they have achieved. Others will go back to the lives they left behind a year ago. Behind them, though, are left those for who moving on is much more than a lifestyle choice.
After some of the worst monsoon conditions in recent years, in temporary homes it is the living who sleep with the fishes, and the mosquitoes.
For Christians, it is a time of expectant joy, and for Jews, it is a time of great hope. If ever there were a time to set aside our differences and work for the common good, this is it. As a boy, I remember learning that in the weeks leading to Christmas, it was my job to prepare a place for the Christ child - in my heart, in our home, and in my life.
In the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina, we saw this lived out as people opened their homes and shared whatever blessings they had with those in need of love and care. Unfortunately, what we also saw in Katrina was an entire class of people who have been left being in recent years - the poor. Katrina blew away the wall that hid poverty and its victims from the general public.
Now, the challenge before our country is whether we can respond, not only with mercy and kindness, but with humility and justice. Humility, because it could just as easily have been us; justice, because if it were us, we would want more than a hand-out, we would want a hand-up - help to rebuild our lives and care for our families. This is the challenge and the promise of a great nation: that we will be remembered for how we care for the least of these, our sisters and brothers here at home and around the world.
As the year comes to a close, we invite you to pause and consider what you might do in 2006 to work for a world with both mercy and justice.
The US energy department report shows emissions rose 2% in 2004 and stood one year ago at 7,122.1m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year - about 25% of the world total. The rise was the greatest in five years and is part of an accelerating trend.
Revised figures also published showed emissions in 2003 were at the second highest level. This year's figures have not been published but are expected by analysts to be similar or greater because of strong US economic growth.
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