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Happy Christmas; There is hope
It will be easy to miss what's really important this Christmas.
Economic woes are really sinking in deep, and will inevitably cause even greater problems in the New Year when the Christmas credit card bills land on the doormat.
Money's extremely tight. The cost of everything seems to be going up endlessly, but pay packets are staying the same, or going down in real terms, and indeed record numbers of people are losing their jobs.
It's not easy. Life is tough.
But there is hope. And I hope you don't mind me mentioning it; it is Christmas after all!
It's the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the man who changed the course of history. He bought hope to a hopeless place.
I have great respect for people of all faiths. But we must remember that at Christmas, it's about Christ.
I was talking to a dear friend the other day who has had a terrible year. After talking for an hour, the only advice I could give that was really meaningful was 'go to Church'.
I will certainly be taking some time out this year to remind myself of what really is important, what the 'Grace of God' really means. And it's not just a glib phrase; it actually means 'the undeserved favour of God'.
If you don't know what it means, well, go to Church. And if you leave that Church still not knowing, go to a different one until you find one that talks a lot about Grace. It really is life changing.
I hope you have a wonderful and grace filled Christmas this year, and that through the tough times that may well lie ahead, you will find peace and hope.
Hallelujah update
Last week in this column I was banging on about the song that everyone's talking about, Hallelujah, the Leonard Cohen classic being covered by X Factor's Alexandra Burke, which is this year's Christmas No.1
There are many versions, and I would prefer to see the Jeff Buckley one at No 1 (it's No.2). And fascinatingly the original Cohen track is in the charts as well. But can I also recommend the version by Katherine Jenkins on her 'Sacred Arias' album – stunning!
Freedom of Borough for Liz Walke
I was at the Hippodrome last Monday for the presentation of the Freedom of the Borough of Eastbourne that was presented to 'ordinary mum' Liz Walke. And well deserved. It was great to see the wonderful old theatre almost full and being used for a civic occasion.
Congratulations Liz, and as she made clear on the evening, the award really is for all those who contributed to the campaign to save the DGH. It was a privilege to play a small part in the early stages of the campaign, but Liz has been a tremendous figurehead, and really deserved to be so when she had the guts to put her house on the line for the cause she believed in. Not many would have done that, and that's what makes Liz far from 'ordinary', and a worthy recipient of the Freedom award.
Have a fantastic Christmas friends!
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Weather for Eastbourne
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
