Merry Christmas Everyone

Merry Christmas Everyone and health and happiness throughout 2011.

This blog is from Rev Gail Souppouris, the Vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd on Shoreham Beach. She apologies for not having penned something original but as Christmas is one of her busiest times, she's going to rely on the lovely words of another Reverend, Rev'd Dr Sara I Chandler.

"The Work of Christmas"

"When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost, to heal the broken,

to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among brothers and sisters,

to make music in the heart"

Howard Thurman

Following is based on a reflection from Rev'd Dr Sara I Chandler via The answer. St Margaret's Woodbridge, Virginia.

"This little piece reminds us that the real Christmas is not putting up a tree or taking it down, not in decorating or undecorating, not in shopping or in returning things to the store. Not in eating too much or singing too many carols. Rather the work of Christmas is recognising the meaning of Christ's coming for the world and us. To understand that the meaning comes from beginning to live it out.

By mending a quarrel...seeking out a forgotten friend.....dismissing suspicion and replacing it with trust....writing a letter...sharing some treasure....giving a soft answer...encouraging youth....manifesting our faith in word and deed...keeping a promise....Finding the time....Foregoing a grudge....forgiving an enemy...listening...apologising if you were wrong...trying to understand...rejecting envy as unworthy....Examining your demands on others...appreciating others...being kind and gentle...laughing a little...laughing a little more...taking up arms against malice...challenging complacency...Expressing your gratitude....Welcoming a stranger...speaking your love....

Speak your love again....not just to those who are close to you, but to each person you meet… speak your love to those you find it difficult to like…speak your love to those who don’t appear to like you … speak your love as if you were speaking it to the Christ-child – the baby we welcome today … speak your love, and his love … speak it, then speak it still once more!"


And here is a little something from me. 

Happy Christmas and see you in the New Year.

Only 8 more big sleeps to go.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It's lovely to see you again and I hope you've had a marvellous week. 
Mine has been more eventful than planned, but despite that I've managed to post all the Christmas cards and bought most of the presents. So Smug of Shoreham is just going to sit back and enjoy the Christmas messages from some of those featured this year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone from the Friends of Shoreham Fort.
I would like to personally thank everyone for their support, whether they have given up their Sundays to help with the manual work, helped with fund raising or worked in the background making the project possible. I cannot thank you enough.
We have achieved so much this year, securing £48,000 to be spent on making parts of the Fort structurally sound; a section 17 from English Heritage after proving the quality of our work, which entitles us to carry out more than just "gardening and tidying" for the next 5 years, which is great news; and we have got a page on Facebook www.facebook.com/shorehamfort where everyone can have their say or keep up to speed with whats happening.
We are just about to launch our new merchandise and, depending on whether or not we can find a local company or person to sponsor the event, hope to secure a date of the 4th June 2011 for our next Military history day and cannon firing.  We are also making some massive improvements to the website www.shorehamfort.co.uk in the new year, so watch this space.
All in all, being that this it is our first year as the Friends of Shoreham Fort, I could not have asked for more and I would like you all to give yourselves a big pat on the back!!!!
All the best,
Gary Baines.

From John Bradshaw, Chairman of Shoreham Beach Residents Association. 
"I know it is old but I still have never seen anything better; PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TO ALL MEN."

From Liza McKinney, Marine Ward Councillor.
"A very happy, healthy and wealthy Christmas.  Keep safe and if you must shed blood, give it to the blood bank don't shed it on the road."

From Barrie Turner (Station Manager, National Coastwatch Institution, Shoreham).

Being the manager of a Coastwatch station makes me very vigilant, not just over the sea but in life generally. 
I find it fascinating that, when the Titanic struck that iceberg, the waters were not raging in a stormy tempest, neither was the rain pouring down on the ill fated crew and passengers. It was in fact a pure calm clear night with the stars visible in their thousands and the water like a mill pond, though dark and icy cold. Those who at first saw the incident from on deck, laughed and joked,  "Does anyone want ice in their whiskey?" As the truth emerged and the damage below the waterline was realised, the ship labeled unsinkable started to disappear beneath the inky black cold sea. Panic set in all too late, not enough life boats, not enough time, not enough help at hand. 
We sail through life on what some people call a voyage, when the waters are calm and the night is clear, be prepared, be ready, have friends and people who love you, have a belief and a faith. Then, when you see trouble ahead, the nine tenths hiding beneath the water waiting to sink you will hold no power, it will hold no destruction, it will not cause unknown damage beneath the surface that others do not realise and most importantly, help will come.  There is a verse in Psalms that says, 'Those who go down to the sea in ships know the power of God'.
Happy Christmas everyone.

From Dave Cassan, Press Officer at RNLI Shoreham Harbour.
"Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.  Be safe and be with your family this Christmas."


Next Friday is Christmas Eve, by which time I'd have realised that I'd forgotten something crucial and will be rebuking myself for my having been smug. So next week, I'll leave you in the gentle hands of Rev Gail Souppouris to give you the final Christmas message and indeed, the last blog of 2010.
Have a great week and see you next Friday.
Ta-ra.

Arrival of the new Tamar Class Lifeboat at Shoreham.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It's lovely to see you again and a thousand apologies for having gone AWOL for a few weeks.

I promise I've not been lolling around drinking coffee. Nope, I've been busy. Firstly, I completed an excellent course on play writing with New Writing South and have until February to draft a full length stage play; secondly, I've re-written the memoir of 95 year old Bill Earl, a Nursing Orderly during the Second World War; and lastly, I've been planning more blogs.

Hence this afternoon I joined a small frozen crowd who had turned out to greet our new Tamar Class Lifeboat, Enid Collett, which replaces the Hermione Lady Colwyn, an older Tyne Class Lifeboat which had rescued 458 people during her 19 years service.

The Tamar Class is the most advanced All Weather Lifeboat in the RNLI fleet, and she was escorted to the station by a small flotilla of lifeboats from Newhaven, Brighton and Littlehampton.After she'd gracefully manoeuvred herself into position, she was winched up the slipway to her new home. However before she'd even had time to unpack, she was out again and, much to our delight, was launched into the harbour.

I'll be dedicating a blog to the Enid Collett and our new Lifeboat station in the New Year, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the clip.

I'll definitely see you next week, when I'll be bringing you festive messages from some of the people featured during 2010.

Thanks for popping by and ta-ra for now.